Finance Intern Review

The NatWest virtual internship offered an insight into the manner In which the organisation functions and the culture that graduates should expect once entering the firm. The most enjoyable aspect was the department-specific project, enabling interns a greater understanding of the exact expectations and tasks that would be fulfilled in a physical setting.

It is clear that NatWest has transformed the culture of the organisation over the previous twelve years and that is demonstrated in the treatment of interns. We were regularly updated with developments and got to hear from a host of senior speakers during the four-week programme.

The NatWest staff were consistently open through email and the portal to guide interns with any issue that arose. During Week 1, I had to attend an emergency optician appointment and received swift responses from the team, reassuring me that this absence was not an issue.

The information gained during the virtual experience will assist with considerations regarding graduate opportunities and increased my ambition to undertake a role with NatWest. Furthermore, the skills honed with the Finance team and array of events offered by the Early Careers team will hopefully enable me to hit the ground running in the graduate programme next year.

The virtual experience was well-planned prior to the commencement of the internship, ensuring that all interns understood the calendar events. Throughout the experience, all events ran on time and any alterations were accompanied by a brisk message from the NatWest team.

The NatWest team were extremely welcoming and open during the virtual experience. All senior speakers were eager to participate in a Q and A session and the facilitators during the programme consistently attempted to involve all interns.

The NatWest team invested a fruitful amount of time in the interns, including a cohort of senior speakers. The slides offered contained insightful content and there had clearly been thought installed into the creation of them, ensuring that interns could grasp a full insight into the bank. Furthermore, the buddy programme involved full-time employees investing in a relationship with an intern and ensured that all new starters could access an individual for advice and direction.

The initial week enabled all interns to access an insight concerning the culture and dynamic environment that currently exists in NatWest. During the second week, interns accessed their specific function, enabling them to comprehend the exact work that would ensue during a full time role with the organisation. The host of speakers that participated in the internship programme also ensured that interns achieved an understanding of the role models that we could access during a full-time position.

It is clear that the NatWest culture has evolved over the previous twelve years, creating an encouraging atmosphere for employees. During the first week, the speakers clearly established the widespread changes that had ensued, with a greater amount of support now being invested in employees. The positive culture could clearly be observed in the manner that interns were treated during the experience and the Alison Rose video that was published prior to the internship commencing.

The content issued will assist with my graduate choices over the short-term and has established a long-term positive perception of NatWest. The specific time spent within the Finance function has demonstrated the positive work culture that can be expected and the challenging tasks that full-time employees can undertake. Furthermore, the content within senior speakers has demonstrated that the bank has a positive vision and clear objectives has been established. Therefore, the programme has ensured that I can utilise the positive content when making future career decisions.

Interns were fortunate to be paid our full internship wages during the scaled-down virtual programme. This action is a testament to the positive culture that has been established within the bank.

The consistent break-out rooms offered an opportunity for interns to network with each other and the speaker sessions allowed for questions to be offered to senior speakers.

The networking opportunities were unfortunately limited due to the global pandemic installing a requirement for a virtual setting. However, NatWest still offered various networking opportunities with senior speakers and break-out rooms amongst interns. The social events included game nights organised by the interns and several social interactions due to the 2-6 challenge.

The corporate social responsibility team offered a strong insight regarding the charitable events that are a possibility for employees. Furthermore, the emphasis upon learning demonstrates the learning potential that could be secured within a full-time position.

NatWest has invested a significant amount of time and effort into this virtual experience and that reflects very positively on the company. It is clear that a culture shift has occurred and the bank has embraced a purpose-led vision that will hold employees in good stead for the future. Therefore, I would recommend this virtual experience to a friend.