Structured Finance summer analyst Review

It was very enjoyable - though it's generally very quiet during the summer, RBS has got plenty of activities planned to keep the interns busy. There are numerous networking opportunities, teach-ins and the CSR project which helped fill in the time. The company also encourages networking both internally and externally.

My colleagues really tried their best to involve me in everything they did. Though as mentioned earlier, it was difficult to get into the nitty gritty of the work, they were always present to answer questions etc. Interns were also assigned a buddy who will deal with any ongoing concerns, questions etc.

Both my managers had a management style that was specific to them, though in general, they were very readily available to proviide support and guidance to the interns and graduates. The managers touch base with the interns very often - once a week- and are very friendly and open, which helped.

Generally not very busy, though the corporate social responsibility project, individual project within each individual team took up the bulk of the time. The managers understand that summer is generally a quiet period, and therefore, they appreciate when interns are proactive in organising coffee meetings with other people within the bank.

As mentioned earlier, summer is generally a quiet period so there was not much responsibility given in terms of actual work done on the desks. The managers do try to staff the interns on projects. Interns have (Almost) full autonomy when tackling the corporate social responsibility project, which was a very fun experience for all, I believe.

As I am pursuing a finance related degree, it was helpful to see how finance principles etc were applied in the 'real' world, which was very useful. Other than that, the internship also developed soft skills, which would be useful in my studies, as well in my next professional job.

It was okay. People were generally very friendly and easy going though there were a select few that came across as a little abrasive, possibly due to the nature of their role (they were more senior people). The atmosphere was quite relaxed as well (possibly due to it being summer).

Very well organised. There were teach ins scheduled fortnightly, on top of several networking opportunities organised at the discretion of the managers. The interns also had to do a corporate social responsibility project, which took up plenty of time. Therefore, I did not spend much time sat at my desk doing nothing.

Not much for the interns

It was ok

Socials had to be organised by the interns, with the company organising a select few - mid internship social and end of internship event. However, depending on your cohort, the social scene can be good or bad, as the organisation of socials relied heavily on the initiative of the interns.

I worked at the Bishopsgate office, which was in Central London. London is expensive to live in, though the higher costs were compensated by the variety the city offers. There are also cheap eateries and housing for those who are on a budget, though it might be difficult to find, especially for a 10 week period.

Good.