Commercial and Corporate Coverage Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship, having been given lots of responsibility and been given the opportunity to explore many different areas of the bank. Being immersed into a professional environment can be daunting at first, but everyone made me feel extremely welcome and immediately a part of the team.

By my own manager I felt extremely valued, as I was given lots of responsibility and things to do which were meaningful. Occasionally, I felt a little undervalued by people on my team, for example, being given quite remedial tasks. However, I did not mind doing these as it added value to the team as a whole.

The support I was given was excellent, people often making sure I was comfortable with what I was doing and checking if I needed any help. I was given real direction by my manager, whilst still maintaining a feeling of independence. I was often told that 'no question is a silly question' which I think sums up everybody's willingness to support me and help me out.

This entirely depended on the week. As it is summer, customer meetings were perhaps slightly less frequent than normal. This meant that occasionally there was not as much to do. However, I filled this time with my project preparation, meaning that I was very rarely sat without anything to do.

I was given a high level of responsibility and trusted with lots of important tasks and information. I was allowed to do some essential work that is required following meetings, and send it to the customer myself. A high level of responsibility certainly made me feel valued, despite being quite young.

My university course consists of some modules quite directly related to some of the activities I carried out throughout the internship. For example, I have learnt quite a lot about customers' finances and I personally undertake a lot of finance modules. In addition, I have certainly grown in confidence through doing presentations to people high up in the bank. I have also improved at creating clear, concise reviews and notes which should hopefully set me up for my studies and beyond.

The atmosphere within my office was superb, full of energy and laughter. Everyone got on so well and there was a real feeling of being a team, which was nice to be a part of. I found it really impressive that, although many of my team are often extremely busy, they always found time to help each other out if someone was struggling with something.

Overall, the placement was well set-up, with a clear schedule of what to expect over the coming weeks from the start. It was a bit difficult having to start work in a different city only one day following our induction in Edinburgh, but this was only a minor issue. Throughout the internship my manager made sure everything was organised well and in keeping with the schedule. Although I am sure it is a necessity in order to complete marking of projects etc, it was a bit difficult completing our assessment in only the 8th week, as many of the interns felt a little like they lacked purpose in the final 2 weeks.

There were many opportunities to get involved with both professional development, such as CV help, and personal development, such as learning to have a 'growth mindset'. This training and development was given in the form of voluntary webinars, spotlight sessions and even immersion days. I attended many of these and found them very useful. My experiences of pitching to professionals and doing my assessment presentation have helped me to grow in confidence.

The culture of RBS is like no other, in that I constantly felt welcomed by all of those around me and everyone is constantly willing to help. The graduate scheme seems very attractive, offering a variety of roles within the two years in order to gain lots of insight into the bank. RBS is an organisation that I would grateful to be a part of in the future.

There was an excellent social scene amongst myself and the other interns. We ate lunch together almost everyday and often went out for evening meals and to bars and clubs. The people I met were lovely and the internship is certainly a place to make friends for life. The connections I made on my team were also invaluable, becoming friend with some of the younger team members.

Personally, I lived in my own student house in Manchester throughout the internship. This meant that I was already paying for my accommodation anyway. However, it seemed from the other interns that living in central Manchester in an apartment, for example, could be quite pricey. The cost of socialising was extremely average, with the central bars and restaurants charging typical prices. The variety of places to eat in Manchester was also astonishing.

The nightlife in Manchester was great, as there was something for everybody. There was every possible type of pub, club and bar, with every possible type of desired music. The places to eat out were also great for evening meals, for example, to have a dinner after work with the other interns.

Although I spent a lot of time with the other interns, most of these activities were arranged amongst ourselves. However, there were a couple of instances that we had food and/or drinks arranged by the company, for example a meal following our charity launch and another following our charity fundraising day. The Manchester graduates also made an effort to involve us in activities, such as a 5-a-side tournament and a few after-work catch-ups.