Internal Audit Summer Intern Review

Working at RBS was a great experience- everyone in the office was friendly and welcoming, and keen to provide support and guidance. There was good opportunity for self-development in a variety of areas through tasks given, both intern focused (such as preparing a group presentation and writing an individual report), and also in the function specific tasks- in my case, audit work. Also the line manager/buddy system helped me to focus on the development of spefific areas of my choosing, helping me to learn skills useful down the line. In addition, there is a nice working environment on campus, and intern events were held at various stages of the internship, which were great for meeting new people or catching up with others. Overall, the internship was thoroughly enjoyable.

I was given opportunity to partake in most stages of the audit, and was invited along to team meetings both within my audit team and also with the rest of the cluster. Tasks I was assigned were quite varied, and in some cases I was trusted to perform peer review on a permanent member of staff's work, so that I felt valued by my colleagues. Additionally, all other colleagues are friendly and open, and easy to get along with.

I had weekly one to one meetings with my line manager, where we discussed how I was getting on that week, and whether I wanted any help or guidance with anything. In addition, she would provide feedback on the work that I'd perform, offering constructive criticism and helping me to develop my knowledge and understanding of the bank and of internal audit. She was proactive in helping find opportunities for me to learn and develop, and was patient and understanding. Equally my buddy was also incredibly helpful, answering any day to day queries I had and making me feel welcome from the first day, actively checking up on me to make sure I was happy with the task at hand.

Although there were quieter periods where I had little work, partcularly in the final week, this was balanced out by busier periods where there was more work to be completed and to tight deadlines. Also the individual report and group presentation projects with gave me something to do when I had little audit work assigned. In general however, I was given a good variety and number of tasks, of varying complexity, so was kept busy for the majority of the day.

Although due to my lack of experience, meaning the tasks I could perform was limited, I was given testing work to perform for the audit I was working on, and was trusted to peer review permanent members of staffs' work. On some occasions, I was also asked to work beyond standard working hours along with the rest of the team to help get work across the line, testament to the amount of responsibility I was given.

The group presentation provided scope for me to improve my presentation skills, working on pace and style of delivery, impact and content, as well as body language. Additionally, there was a number of opportunities for me to improve my report writing skills. Both of these skills are universally useful, and whilst they might not be directly used in my degree- mathematics, they will definitely assist with jobs down the line.

In general the atmostphere was friendly and lively. Other colleagues were both open and relaxed, so that it was easy to settle in, and was a really pleasant place to work. It was fun working with a variety of people, and the large campus meant that physical conditions were also comfortable, witht the office being bright, spacious and open.

There was an online portal set up with information about work location, role and buddy. However, exact location of work was only confirmed about two weeks before the internship started, so there was little time to organise accomodation. Additionally, there was a good deal of shuffling about with the allocation of buddies initally, and set up of systems on the first day in the office was a little disorganised. However, overall the internship was set up well, with the first three induction days operating smoothly, and following intern events and tasks being organised clearly and efficiently.

My line manager and buddies took time out to personally help with helping develop my presentation skills and report writing skills. They organised talks about presenting tips, and organised practise runs ahead of a final group presentation, providing personal feedback on my performance and areas where I could continue to improve. Additionally with the latter skill, my line manager and buddy discuessed the reports I'd written with me face to face, again helping on a personal level with my development.

Future employment prospects are very appealing, with the grad scheme being an effective next step in gaining further experience, as well as gaining the required qualifications for chartered accountancy on the way, ICAEW or ICAS, depending on where you are placed. Given the positive experience I have enjoyed during my internship working in internal audit for RBS, future job prospects would indeed be very appealing.

There were a number of internship events throughout the scheme, including a mid way event at a bar/club, and also an end of internship event. In general however, interns tended to stick to their own function groups, although some groups from induction managed to stay in touch. Amongst other work colleagues, there were some out of office events, but were not very common- although some teams did organise team trips to see Edinburgh Fringe shows.

The cost was about the same as though I was still at university. Although overall living and socialising cost wasn't especially cheap, public transport to and from work in Edinburgh was relatively cheap via bus or tram, and there was a good variety of shops and restaurants to choose from in the way of food, so living in the area was relatively affordable.

Good number of clubs around, although didn't personally go to many. Outside of clubbing, due to the Edinburgh Fringe being on during the internship, there was plenty to do after work, with a huge number of different shows of different types, including stand up, dramas, concerts, musicals etc I could go to. Additionally with the fringe, there were lots of stalls and makets set up for food or drink.