Commercial Banking Intern Review

So far I have had an incredible internship experience. RBS has offered me so many opportunities, such as working in different parts of the bank to meeting senior directors and building my personal network. I hope to come back and do the graduate scheme.

I think I feel valued to a good extent. Of course, as an intern you aren't able to do some of the more difficult, rather technical tasks which can make you feel slightly undervalued, however, my manager and the rest of the team do still give me lots of responsibility every day and treat me as a regular employee of the bank.

My manager has given me great amounts of support, even to the extent of taking me round a tour of Edinburgh during my first week here to show me where all the offices are and to make sure I was comfortable knowing my way around. Despite this, my manager makes sure that I can be challenged in order to learn, and so in some tasks I may get less support to show that I can use my initiative and persevere. However, my manager and the rest of the team make it clear to me that they are available at all times in case I get stuck and need a bit more help.

This can vary. On some days I would have a full days work and would be very busy, whilst on others I would perhaps be busy for some of the day and free for the other parts. However, the bank have lots of online learning activities and systems in place to make sure that you aren't sitting around doing nothing. On the rare occasion that I had completed all my work, team members would have a long list of tasks that they needed to be done, and would often ask me to complete them if I had time.

I was given tasks to do that were of big importance to the bank, some of which were fairly technical. However, as an intern you aren't going to be given the most important tasks as these take months to perfect and get right first time. As client meetings went on I was given a bigger role the more that went along, which was nerve wracking but also exciting as I found myself being given a bigger role within the bank.

The great thing about this internship is that I have been exposed to lots of different areas within the bank, which has allowed me to learn lots about the way a bank works and also about what type of banking career I wish to pursue in the future. In terms of skills, you definitely become more of a people person in that it becomes natural to meet and speak to new people every day. Each day at the bank is like a networking event, and introducing myself to people and putting myself out there is something that I now believe I am very good at.

The atmosphere in the office is definitely one that is motivated and focused. Everyone is approachable and happy to chat, however at the same time everyone has a lot of work to complete and so will be hard at work attending meetings, taking calls etc.

This, from what I've experienced and from what other interns have told me from various other banks, is definitely the best one around. The induction is incredible, with lots of time and effort generated into making sure the interns are fully equipped and prepared before entering the office. Each intern has a manager (mine was extremely supportive and friendly) and a buddy who they may go to at any time. They are more than happy to take time out of their day to give you support and answer any questions you may have, a resource I used many times.

The induction alone was a lot of investment. There were various speakers that came in to teach us various skills and develop our personal learning, whilst on the internship I spent my days with senior staff from all over the bank, more than happy to spend a few hours with me explaining their role and division within RBS.

Very appealing. The grad scheme is 2 years long, split up into 4 6-month rotations. These rotations can be in any area of the bank you wish, although there is some limit to how far you can stretch this. Being able to work in 4 different areas of the bank gives you an exposure that you wouldn't find in any other bank, and gives grads a chance to find out exactly what division they enjoy working in most.

Absolutely. Remember, everyone is in the same boat when starting the internship and so it is very easy to go up to people and introduce yourself. I now have a great group of friends from the internship, including graduates who are a few years older. Everyone is extremely friendly and easy to get along with, and I had an endless list of social opportunities and networking events emailed through to me weekly.

My internship was in Edinburgh and so socially it was excellent, with it being a fairly small city in comparison to London. Everyone lives not too far away from each other and the bars/clubs/restaurants aren't too expensive. The cost of living can be slightly more due to it being a capital city, whilst the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August can make prices shoot up. The bank can offer accommodation advice but it is up to the individual to find accommodation themselves. My advice would be to find and book accommodation as soon as possible, as this will mean you are able to find the cheapest price around.

The bars and restaurants are excellent, with enough variation for everyone. I have been to a few of the clubs here and so far haven't been overwhelmed by them. The clubs in other cities such as Bristol and Liverpool are a lot more advanced, however, Edinburgh does offer a lot of variation in that there are enough clubs here to suit everyone. The clubs here are also always very busy, which, in the summer with no university students, isn't always guaranteed in other cities.

Loads. The company offer lots of opportunities themselves such as the CSR charity challenge set up each year. They also have 2 5-side football pitches and a tennis court at Gogarburn (Edinburgh RBS head office) as well as a fully functional gym and indoor swimming pool. Aside from sports, lots of social events are set up helping to develop your professional network.