Technology Summer Analyst Review

Employees at RBC Capital Markets go out of their way to ensure all interns feel valued. There is a strong focus on professional development and networking so you finish the internship with a wealth of knowledge as well as a thorough and broad understanding of investment banking.

From day one, interns are contributing to their teams and seeing their work take effect. Upon completion of a task, feedback is always given so you can perform better in the next. Seeing your work being used and receiving feedback on how to improve demonstrates the worth of the work you do, showing how it is valued.

With a strong focus on learning and development, guidance from management is a major part of that focus. Managers are always at hand to not only offer advice on your workload, but all aspects of performance. They can provide introductions to employees in teams you are interested in and give an overview or recommend some reading on specific areas of the bank you are interested in.

Naturally, at the start of the internship there is a lot learning and navigating to be done, I found as the internship progressed your workload also increased according to the amount of work you were getting through. This resulted never being idle but also never feeling overwhelmed.

Much like the workload as discussed above, the responsibility you are given also increases as you start to become more comfortable and effective in your team. Management are eager for you to take on this responsibility, when you match this enthusiasm, you are given increasingly more responsibility as the internship progresses.

Everyone receives business training at the start of the internship, focusing on how an investment bank functions and the services it provides to its clients. There is also an online learning platform that interns are given access to that has a wide array of vocational courses relevant to an investment bank.

There is a strong focus on collaboration, different teams are constantly liaising with each other to discuss problems and share solutions. Everyone always has for each other as well, most teams have at least one meeting a day where every member goes through what they are working on and has opportunity to discuss any issues they have with the wider team.

There was a clear path for the workload for every intern, not one intern that I spoke felt as though they were doing menial work. Every team that took an intern had a clear vision of how their intern was going to contribute to their team.

RBC invests in an intern as they would with a graduate, they put on comprehensive training for all interns at the start of the internship. Regular feedback is also another key part of the internship, this feedback is the biggest aid towards your professional development.

RBC does offer some interns the opportunity to come back as a graduate analyst the following year. Even if you do not receive a return offer, the internship experience provided by RBC is invaluable and will definitely enhance all future applications made to other firms.

Teams regularly get lunch together and everyone is always welcome to join. RBC also arranged mixers and networking sessions throughout the internship, allowing you meet interns and professionals in teams you would otherwise not have come across.

Being located in central London the accommodation is not cheap. The RBC offices are only a short walk from Bank/Blackfriars however so commuting in and staying with friends or family can be cheap if it is an option. Student halls are often available for short stays in the summer as well and can provide relatively cheap accommodation in zones 1-3.

As the RBC offices are in the financial district rather than Canary Wharf, there are a large number of bars close to the office. They are also just a few minutes on the tube from Shoreditch and Soho which provide great nifghtlife options.

RBC places a great emphasis on staying active and volunteering. There is an internal webpage where employees have the option to see available volunteering opportunities. There are also regular charity runs and cycles throughout the year that employees have the option to take part in.