Summer Intern Review

Worked in commercial banking and retail banking and wealth management which was good as got to experience the work completed in two departments. Enjoyed commercial more than retail due to the work being more interesting but was nice to have the opportunity to try both (also need to ensure you are pro-active else you may not make the most out of it).

All colleagues were always very friendly and happy to help. At times, it was harder for them to help as the work they were doing wasn’t applicable to me but for the most part they were always happy to answer questions and spend time with me. Did have some difficulty talking to some colleagues in wealth management side however.

I was given general support and guidance and managers but having a pro-active attitude to sort out shadowing placements, asking for work etc was key in the internship else you wouldn’t have much to do and wouldn’t have gained a wholistic view of the company so this is a must.

The amount of work being completed varied weekly. During the weeks where I was preparing a presentation and delivering it, I was fairly busy, but for the other weeks, I had a fair amount of free time to talk to colleagues and try to learn about their roles. Rarely finished later than 5.30pm.

The responsibility placed on me was fairly well balanced as initially, I didn’t have much responsibility however as I completed tasks and gained others’ confidence I was given more. I would have liked to take on a larger amount of responsibly as I believe I could have handled more however due to the short time span of the rotation, I know this isn’t always possible.

Studying a degree in mechanical engineering means that perhaps the technical knowledge I gained won’t be particularly applicable to me. However, the general skills learnt and enhanced such as presentational skills, teamwork skills to combine various talents etc. will all be very useful and relevant in the future, so will be applicable.

General atmosphere in office varied depending on whether I was in a branch for retail banking and wealth management or whether I was in a commercial banking office. Retail banking was much more lively as would be expected as have to display good image to public whereas commercial banking was more serious. Both very good atmospheres however.

Internship itself was well organized with relevant charity days included to meet up with other interns in cohort. Would have been better if all interns worked together in a similar location however as this would have encouraged greater networking. However I know this may not be logistically possible, but still very worthwhile.

Before the internship officially began, we had a training weekend with the whole intern cohort which was nice as we were able to ease into the internship and network with fellow interns. Additionally, relevant expenses were covered if we had to go to client meetings far away or complete training at locations which weren’t our home offices which was positive.

Very appealing employment prospects for the future should you gain a place on the penultimate year scheme. Seems like a very nice place to work with intelligent people who are more than happy to help. The work itself was also interesting and after networking with members already on the graduate scheme, seems like a good scheme to be on.

Wasn’t a great social scene amongst interns as we were all split up and sent to various locations over the country. Did have the opportunity to socialize during charity event days and for the training weekend. Made some good friends which I am still in contact with today however a number of interns didn’t develop these links as the time frame was too short.

Not much socializing due to lack of available interns available however as I know people in the areas I was working, I was able to socialize with them instead. Standard prices in surrounding restaurants for the most part however in London was obviously more expensive. Manageable however so cannot complain. Lived at home for one rotation and rented a room for second.

Very little night life experienced during internship so can't comment accurately.

Very few opportunities to join sports clubs etc but was able to complete charity days/challenges etc.