Communications & Marketing Intern Review

I really enjoyed my work placement with RBS. I was placed in a team where I had real responsibilities and it matched my previous experiences in my degree and employment, and so I didn't feel randomly placed within the business. I was exposed to a variety of places within the business to have a broader understanding of the industry.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. They were friendly and welcoming, and always happy to answer any questions that I had for them. They appreciated the work that I did for them, and valued it when I completed it. The work didn't get shelved - it made a difference within the organisation.

I was given a lot of support and guidance throughout the internship. I had a line manager, a programme manager and a key contact for each of the projects I was working on. I also had the HR related support and guidance from the Early Careers Team for any internship related queries.

I was given a lot of work at the start of the placement, although the workload did vary. Some of the projects I was involved in didn't pick up until close to the end. However, most of the time I had something to do and I was able to reach out in my weekly 1-2-1 sessions to ask for more work when required.

I was given a lot of responsibility and trusted to complete my work. I was allowed to manage my workload, working hours, and office location and my manager trusted me. When I was given pieces of work to complete, they were not constantly checked by other members of staff - I was allowed to use my independence.

I have developed a lot of skills on the placement. Being immersed in a new environment has taught me valuable lessons about where I might like to take my career in the future. However, I found the training provided at the internship was not all relevant to my internship and some was completely unnecessary - for example, we got taught handshake techniques but not wider office behaviours.

The general office atmosphere was extremely good. The office used a hotdesking system and this meant that I got to meet a variety of people across the team and wider function. I had access to free tea and coffee as well as a weekly fruit basket, and small things like this made a big difference to the experience.

The internship was fairly well set up. I did experience some administrative difficulties with aspects such as computer access, building access and knowing where I would be placed before the placement. Nevertheless, most aspects were well structured. The application process was much more positive with RBS compared to other organisations I applied to for internships.

RBS invested heavily in my personal training and development. I had full access to a suite of training opportunities, both face-to-face, online and through a mobile app. I was encouraged to raise any learning needs that I had on a weekly basis in my 1-2-1 and through the learning log system. These needs were addressed by the team.

The organisation makes 'intent to offers' for the graduate scheme at the end of the internship to the majority of interns. Most other organisations that I applied to did not offer this, and so I am excited by this opportunity. Although are no guaranteed jobs at the end of the graduate scheme, I am confident that by this time I will have extensive skills to support an internal application for a role at RBS.

There was a good social scene amongst the fellow placement students. We had regular social events organised between ourselves, but the bank also organised 3 social events across the 10 weeks for us to attend as well. This made me feel welcomed and valued by the bank, and like they understood the difficulties with moving to an unfamiliar city.

The cost of living and socialising in the area I worked was reasonable. Finding accommodation that was reasonably priced was quite difficult, but apart from this I was comfortable in my living. The placement was well paid too and so I did not feel like I was not earning enough to cover the cost of living and socialising in the location.

The nightlife was very good. As I was in a capital city, I had a wide range of opportunities and places that I could go to. We also had graduate buddies who could provide advice and guidance, and this helped me to feel settled and able to enjoy the nightlife in safe areas.

We had a range of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. I was invited to various events and opportunities that got me out of the office to gain new experiences and skills. There were also social activities for downtime outside of the office, but with my colleagues, such as a team BBQ.