Summer Analyst Review

by Royal Bank of Canada

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.3/5
  • The Role
    4.2
  • The Company
    4.7
  • The Culture
    3.9

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • The internship was demanding, but extremely rewarding, and I learnt a lot from the work I was given. The programme was well structured, and gave me exposure to lots of different skills (including Excel and Bloomberg). The programme provided an excellent introduction to working at an investment bank, and I would highly recommend it.

    5/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • Interns at RBC Capital Markets (Royal Bank of Canada's Investment Banking Division), are treated almost like full time employees, and from the nature of the work I was given, I definitely felt like a valued member of the team. Full time employees went out of there way to make interns feel welcome, and the atmosphere was very friendly.

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • The precise nature of the support and guidance varies from project to project and team to team.On the whole however, my supervisors were incredibly supportive and gave me ample opportunity to ask any questions without making me feel silly for doing so. Supervisors were good at explaining what I should be doing and giving guidance.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Working at RBC Capital markets I was busy pretty much throughout the working day, as is the case at pretty much every investment bank. The workload however was never overwhelming, and if you are driven and motivated it is perfectly manageable. Managers to care to ensure that I had not been assigned an impossibly large amount of work to do.

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • The amount of responsibility I was given at RBC Capital Markets was one of the highlights of the internship. Interns are treated like full time employees, and as such you work on projects which are ultimately actually going to be used by the bank. There was no "make-work" or pointless projects.

    5/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • In terms of the hard skills I learnt Excel and Bloomberg will be very useful. Where the placement really stood out was in terms of the soft skills I developed - including learning how to work in a team and manage competing demands from different managers, as well as developing my presentation skills.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • In general the atmosphere was very friendly - RBC is famously the "nice investment bank" and this was definitely borne out in my experience. In part the friendly atmosphere comes from the RBC's flat management structure - the atmosphere is very non-hierarchical and it's possible to chat with anyone no matter how senior.

    5/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • The placement was extremely well structured. The first two weeks were training weeks, with week 1 providing a general overview of the investment bank and week 2 providing specific excel training. The first two weeks provided a good opportunity to get to know the other interns. In weeks 3-10 interns rotated through their different desks.

    5/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • RBC invested heavily in our training and development. They hired in outside training experts for the excel training in the first two weeks. Also during week 1's general introduction to working at an investment bank, they got the heads of the different desks to come in and explain what each of the different desks does.

    5/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • 4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Following its expansion in the US, RBC is now looking to expand in Europe, and as such it now represents an excellent time to be part of RBC. RBC are expanding in many areas of their business at a time when other banks are cutting back. RBC is definitely a bank that is on an upward trajectory.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • There wasn't a huge social scene other than a few drinks events, but all the other interns were very nice and good to get to know.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Living in London is very expensive, but the intern salary at RBC is definitley enough to cover it comfortably. RBC also has a subsidised canteen which is a good place to get a (relatively cheap) lunch if you didn't bring a packed lunch. You can also get free coffee at RBC which helps to lower the coffee bill!

    3/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Didn't really explore the nightlife that much, but London has a pretty good nightlife.

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • RBC is heavily involved in several charities and there were numerous opportunities to get involved with their work. For example RBC ran an internal office NFP sweepstake with the proceeds going to charity, and interns could help collect and record bets for the sweepstake. Also all interns were taken to Ronald McDonald Hospice to see the work RBC does there.

    5/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

October 2018

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