Technology and Operations Intern Review

Very mixed emotions about it. Some days I was really enjoying myself and some days I wish it would just end. At the halfway mark, I felt as if I KNEW this wasn't for me, but now that it has come to an end I feel a little sad because I've learnt so much. I am genuinely considering returning despite the challenging experience because, I am sure you will be uncomfortable at some point with every job.

The people at Santander are amazing, however the people I had to work with can be very difficult to communicate with. I felt like they didn't take me seriously despite me having genuine reason to contact them. Their responses and information were vital to projects but they would still ignore and delay schedules. Nonetheless, I give them benefit of the doubt and think that on the whole, my colleagues took care of me and showed me a tremendous amount of respect.

Personally, I was given quite little...BUT this was intentional as my manager wanted me to learn from myself. This is what made the experience tough, however I learnt so much more due to the independence. I did feel I was under attack all the time with very frequent constructive criticism but it was for the best. Early on, it is tough to hear and take such feedback, but you learn to use it as motivation as time goes on.

Near the start of the internship I had a lot of spare time. So I did my best to keep occupied by enrolling for courses, enrolling to learn Spanish, attending workshops and scheduling meetings with people from various departments. Offering your help to colleagues can go a long way, and don't be afraid to ask because most of the time they wont give you anything! As the weeks continued I found myself busier and busier and I only hit 'always having something to do' level in my last week! Of course, this varies and it all depends on how much your manager wants to give you.

I believe I was given a large amount of responsibility, however only until I have proven myself and understood the tasks. I was involved with high profile national projects as well as weekly presentations.

The only skills I've developed which I can apply to my degree is time management and working under pressure. I personally feel that I haven't been intellectually challenged at all... only physically and emotionally. But this does mean that beyond my degree, I can definitely apply what I've learnt. I know I'll be mentioning my experience at Santander for years to come.

It was quite robotic if you didn't get to know the people around you, however if you managed to find the confidence and start talking to nearby colleagues you feel so much more relaxed and at ease because you know you can ask for help whenever. So for me, I was happy with the atmosphere.

Organisation wasn't so great. The majority of interns had laptops but I didn't.... this meant that when visited other offices, it was an absolute nightmare to find myself a desk as spare computers weren't lying around for people use! This was a reoccurring problem and definitely downplayed the experience. Other than that, it was fairly good.

The mandatory training was very informative but that was as far as interns would go. I have had to research for additional learning opportunities myself as there was no guidance provided by the business. I signed up to news letters and attended workshops from there. I also searched for training in the 'Santander Knowledge' platform and there was a wide range of resources. On the whole, there was so much on offer but little guidance, but I believe this was intentional.

Fairly attractive but rotations are likely to be outside of my location, meaning I'll have to relocate. Relocation for me is a definite no.

There was nothing done by the business. All social scenes were up to the colleagues.

I only had to pay for monthly travel and food. I didn't really go out much with the other interns. Just had lunch with them.

Personally do not partake in those activities, so I wouldn't know. But my colleagues did tend to go for drinks fairly often.

Corporate social responsibility project was amazing. Raising money for Age UK and Bernardo's. Totally up to you how you want to raise money and you're given guidance on how to do so.