HR Intern Review

Very good atmosphere in the office, people are always happy to talk with and help you. Everyone on my team took 20 minutes to sit down and get to know me in my first week which was a great start to the placement. I was based in Edinburgh and they have a cohort of around 50 interns in this location so the social side of the internship was great. There were always people to do things after work and at the weekend which allowed you to really enjoy your downtime.

Obviously this varied within my team dependent on seniority and how much contact I had with them for my project. For the most part people were eager to get me involved in their work and would often take time out of the day to catch up and explain things to me if needs be.

Very good support from line manager although he was on holidays near the start of the internship. His management style really suited me, only had to meet with him formally for an hour each week and left it in part for me to let him know how much support I needed. This was great as I didn't waste time on chats if I was happy with my work but he also gave great support when I did need it and actively gave me good feedback throughout. Although most interns were quite happy with line manager support this is obviously something that varies.

First couple of weeks weren't too busy, but once it picked up I had enough to do. As I was given end-to-end ownership of my own project I had quite a lot of say in how busy I was. Depending on the extent of the outcomes I was looking to achieve within the 10 weeks would obviously dictate how busy I was on a day to day basis. We were given a variety of different projects to work and it was quite rare I was left with nothing to do.

I was given responsibility for the delivery of my project which did add some value to the team. However, the responsibility I was given wasn't critical to the running of the team. I did feel like the work I was doing was worth doing but I wouldn't say the level of responsibility was particularly high. However, given that I was only an intern for 10 weeks it's perhaps too much to expect to be given a higher level of responsibility.

The major skills I gained were in project management, stakeholder management and effective time planning. As I've only just completed the placement it's perhaps too early to see whether these will be relevant for my degree. I do think I will plan my time much more effectively and be more productive going into my final year as a result of the internship though.

The team I was in was quite a bit older with most having been at the bank for 10/15+ years. It was a good collaborative atmosphere and I definitely looked forward to going into the office for the social side alongside the work I was doing. The push at the bank for flexible working and working from home meant that Fridays were usually quite dead but other than that the atmosphere was pretty good.

Overall I think it was set up to a reasonable standard, however, there were clear good and bad aspects of the programme. Pros: - Induction was well done - Assessment criteria were clear early on and reinforced throughout Cons: - The early careers team were sometimes unclear in their communications (pension scheme/remuneration for holiday not taken/links not working) - Intern experience was heavily dependent on how well the team/line manager had set up the 10 weeks (variance in intern experience)

There is a wide availability to online training, some mandatory and some optional. I did attend a couple of workshops and one half day training courses. One was skills in 'writing simply' which I have been using quite often in my communications now. The opportunities were fair given the length of time of the internship and the department I was working in.

Quite good, turned their first half profit and the company is moving in the direction so prospects are on a par with the other major financial services institutions. They suffer from the same issues on the horizon as a lot of large established institutions in financial services. Threat of fintech companies attacking specific market sectors that are on the cutting edge and can be very versatile in their approach. I think the Bank are in as good a position as any of the other major Banks in the UK.

There was a really good scene amongst the interns. Would do something with other interns most nights of the week/week-end and everyone was really easy to get along with. One of the highlights of being based in Edinburgh for the summer is the Edinburgh Festival. We had the biggest arts festival on our doorstop and there were loads of free shows to go and see alongside all the big comedians that came and played.

Cost of living is expensive for Scotland but maybe not so expensive as London is. This is one that depends on what you want to do. If you're not fussed about drinking/eating out then there are so many free things you can do. Most of the museums/galleries are free and there were plenty of free shows to go and see at the fringe. If you like to eat and drink out Edinburgh is an expensive city but the pay is good enough that you can afford to do so.

There was enough nightlife that it was interesting for the 10 weeks that I was there. The focus is more on bars and pubs than it is on big clubs, but there are two or three good clubs if you do want it. There's definitely enough going on but if you're looking for a thriving music scene you'd have to make your way over to Glasgow probably. We would quite often just go for a couple of drinks after work and there's loads of great places to go.

~There is a focus on corporate social responsibility within the company so I was given the opportunity to do day volunteering at a community garden which was a great experience. It allows me to bond well with my team and also make a difference. We also participated in an intern-wide fundraising day which was also great as all the teams of interns were out in Edinburgh competing to try and raise the most money. There are opportunities to do activities outside of work but you have to be proactive in seeking them out and making the most of them.