HR Summer Intern Review

I had an amazing time on my internship at RBS - the work was varied, and very challenging but definitely manageable. I was involved in so many different projects throughout my time, and I was allowed to get involved in a variety of jobs in different teams just by talking to people and expressing my interest. I learned so much in my short time here, and the team was always helpful and welcoming.

I never once felt undervalued or treated unfairly by anyone in the bank. Everyone I asked, regardless of seniority, took time out of their schedule to meet with me and give me insight and help on the projects I was working on, and seemed genuinely interested in knowing how I was getting on and how they could help. I really felt equally as valued as everyone else in my team which was great.

My line manager was amazing at giving me feedback and support throughout my internship, and was always up for a quick catch up to talk through any of my doubts and to offer advice. The early careers team in charge of the internship scheme were also very helpful in helping us get set up in the company, and in talking us through the structure of the internship and letting us know what support was available to us.

I had a great balance of work, meetings, and activities every day, although it was mostly dependent on me going out and meeting people, and planning meetings with them myself. You do need to be a proactive person to fill all of your time - if you just expect your line manager to provide you with all of your activities, you will tend to get bored. It's a good exercise in time management and being more self-sufficient. There are many intern events as well which the early careers team organize, and they are always fun as you get to catch up with all the other interns.

I was really treated like a valued colleague, and given many big responsibilities throughout my internship. I was preparing slides alongside my manager for big presentations she was giving, and assisting in projects that will affect bank-wide processes. You do need to prove your trustworthiness, reliability, and proactivity to your team, but when you do you will be rewarded with great opportunities.

I have really developed my confidence, and relationship building techniques in my time here. I have spoken to so many different types of people with varying levels of seniority in the bank, and I have been given feedback by a few of them which has helped me shape my skills. I have also improved my time management and planning skills by being here and having to juggle various projects at once - I also had to learn to be very independent and self-sufficient because you cannot expect your line manger to hand you out all your work and stay with you at all times, so I have really developed in that way too.

I was placed in Gogarburn - the headquarters of RBS in Edinburgh. It really is a great place to work, with many collaborative work and meeting areas, and a very open layout where you feel comfortable going up and talking to anyone. There's also a bunch of cafes and a Tesco in the building, so you can easily take a break between meetings.

The structure of the internship is so great in getting you involved with so many different people and projects, and also gives you all the support and guidance you need to feel confident, but all the freedom you need to explore new areas and develop your skills.

I really feel like both my line manager and my graduate buddy were very invested and cared about making sure I was on track with all my work and that I was feeling challenged and supported throughout. I had a one-on-one with each of them separately at least once a week. The work that I was involved in was also very challenging and I always felt comfortable going up to anyone to ask for feedback, and everyone would try and help you if you needed it.

I would love to work for RBS - especially for the HR department. They are so focused on innovation, and developing new ways of working to adapt for the needs of the employees. They are also very focused on creating the best culture and working environment, whilst also challenging and developing their employees. There is also no sense of superiority from anyone I have worked with.

We met up with all the interns a few times a week at least - we always invited each other to different things around the city, and organized nights out for us all to join in. The graduates also have a 'networking council' that set up a few events for us all to join so we got to meet with them as well. We were lucky enough to have our internship fall during the World Cup, so we all met up a lot to watch the games together in town.

Edinburgh is quite an expensive city to live and go out in, but it's so beautiful that it makes it worth it. The canteen at work is also very well priced, and there's a Tesco for your lunch too.

Edinburgh has a great club and bar scene, and we all organized nights out for the interns on most weekends.

It's a very social work environment, and the teams we work in usually organize lunches and nights out, so you get to hang out with your team in a more social, laid back setting which always helps at first to make you more comfortable and confident.