This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
-
The Company
-
The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
"Enjoy" is the wrong word - it was pretty manageable as work goes.
Pleasantly surprised. One of my worries was feeling like a pest and a hindrance, but nearly everyone made me feel valued and as though me using their time was no trouble at all.
I had many different people looking out for me. My two line managers were great. I also had two buddies assigned to me who were helpful. Most impressively, many other team members were keen to help even though they didn't have to.
The start was quite slow as I got into all the systems, but from then on I could generally be as busy or as free as I decided to be. There was generally stuff they could give me if I asked for it.
I was allowed to do the actual job within a few weeks which was nice.
Not at all.
The Company
Very relaxed. People dress fairly casual, work 8-4/9-5/10-6, and chat occasionally amongst the work.
Very, clear they've done it before. When I arrived my first couple of weeks were mapped out for me, then the Early Careers guys set up events throughout, as did the grads.
I went through the usual training pack for new starters in my team, but that wasn't an investment as such. RBS would probably say the two days induction were investing in us, but frankly that was all nonsense.
Feels like a good option to have. Will apply to other grad schemes, but nice to know this is there as the pay is good, relaxed company to work for, and you only have to do something for 6 months at a time so you can escape if it's terrible.
The Culture
[This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] Colleague socialising is dampened by the office being in the middle of nowhere, i.e. little scope for post work pints.
Edinburgh is quite expensive but not prohibitively so. It helped that I had a flat anyway so didn't need to worry about rent.
Edinburgh night life is pretty good anyway, then the internship runs through the Fringe which makes it even better.
They must us do a fundraising challenge, and put on a couple of socials, but I didn't really buy into either.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Scotland
August 2019