Commercial Banking Virtual Internship Review

Although the internship wasn't delivered in the way it was planned, RBS/NatWest did the best they could to ensure the experience was as close as possible to the original plan. It was fantastic to gain such a deep insight into the word of commercial banking, from both industry experts and graduates alike. It would have been nice to gain some real hands-on experience and meet everyone in person, but I understand this was not possible due to COVID-19.

As RBS/NatWest committed to providing us a programme so early on (even in spite of a global pandemic), I felt incredibly valued, and as if the entire intern cohort was integral to the RBS/NatWest's plans for the future, particularly the new purpose led approach set out by [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] earlier on in the year. Furthermore, the early careers team were very attentive throughout, and were very helpful and supportive with any queries I had during my time on the programme.

General support was provided by the early careers team throughout the programme; as the programme was laid out before us well in advance in detail. I felt not a huge amount of guidance was particularly needed as the programme was so well planned and all information was already available. The most direct support on the programme was provided by my buddy, who answered any questions I had, and provided a great deal of insight about their experiences as both an intern and a graduate within the bank.

I feel as if my ability to network has improved drastically since the start of the programme. I hope to make use of this skill in the future, as I meet more and more people within the industry. Furthermore, I feel my understanding of commercial banking and it's place within the banking sector has also improved, I'm optimistic that I can carry this forward into the final year of my degree, where the greater level of perspective will aid my studies of the financial sector.

The programme was very well structured, and in fact the plans had been laid out before us a good two weeks before we were even due to start, this was very helpful. Furthermore, the way the programme was structured was key, as we were introduced more broadly to the bank as a whole and then as time went on we were split into our respective divisions to gain a better insight of how our future work could impact the direction of the bank.

The atmosphere was very good at all times, although obviously it did vary depending on the type of session. For example, speaker sessions felt very formal and professional but without feeling intimidating in any way, shape or form. On the other hand, group sessions and breakout rooms were very fun and informal and were also a fantastic chance to get to know/network with fellow interns within the cohort. It was also very enjoyable to be able to frequently work as part of a team in various challenges with other interns.

I feel as if RBS/NatWest invested heavily in myself, as well as my fellow interns, not only in monetary terms, but also significant amounts of time and energy clearly went into the planning process to ensure an engaging experience was provided, that made the most of the COVID situation. Furthermore, several external workshops were provided to enable us to enhance our emotional intelligence, networking skills and mindfulness, all of which I found to be invaluable.

The virtual experience gave a fantastic overview of the bank as a whole, both in general and division specific. Whilst we were given some idea of the gist of each sub-division, I understand it would be incredibly difficult to give a true insight into day-to-day work without having more time with us, such as with a full-time graduate programme. Therefore I feel it was quite difficult to gain a true sense of the work but I feel this may change in the future when the world has recovered more from the effects of COVID-19.

Above everything else, the thing I noticed most during my time with RBS was how positive every single employee was about the culture. They all made it very clear how happy they were to be apart of such a supportive organisation, and certain individuals made a point of how much stronger the culture at RBS is compared to other financial institutions that they had worked at previously. I feel I gained a really good understanding of the culture, and it is one I would be proud to be a part of.

The content provided to us throughout opened my eyes to many different avenues/roles within commercial banking, as well showing me how easy it is to move around in order to gain a holistic overview of the bank and it's activities. I am more keen than ever to expose myself the various different areas within commercial banking and hopefully build my knowledge further into the future by experiencing as many different roles within commercial banking as well as some within structured finance.

RBS/NatWest quickly made the decision to pay us all in full (minus holiday pay), the amount we would have been paid for the original 10 week internship; for this I am incredibly grateful as I understand the social barriers that are frequently put in place as a side effect of firms providing unpaid internships. In my eyes it also speaks to RBS/NatWest's commitment to the entire cohort, and therefore the future of the bank's operations.

In general, a huge effort was made to encourage networking with other interns via coffee chats, interactive sessions, breakout rooms on Zoom and various other fun challenges that were set throughout the programme. Furthermore, several different opportunities to network with senior individuals in the bank and graduates were also provided, these gave a fantastic insight into the different placements that exist, and the new vision/direction of the bank following the change to a purpose led culture.

Whilst limited due to the pandemic, the events were still very good and served their purpose very well; I have connected with a vast amount of people during my short time at the bank. I feel I have not only learned significant amounts from industry experts and graduates, but also from my fellow interns. I am very keen to work more closely with them in the future, hopefully where we will be able to meet and collaborate in person.

The various different graduate councils gave their own speaker sessions where they discussed the activities of their respective councils and their plans for the future. I found this to be very interesting and I will look to join at least one of them should I be invited to return to RBS for the graduate scheme. I am sure there are more activities that are accessible via the company's intranet but these were not discussed in great depth; I'm keen to find out more in the future!

Absolutely, I felt very valued throughout the entire programme and I feel the needs of interns were always of upmost consideration when the programme was being planned out. The time taken by so many different people really demonstrates the level of commitment taken by RBS/NatWest. I enjoyed every bit of learning and it was fantastic to meet so many amazing new people. I would be very happy to work at RBS/NatWest permanently in the future and this short exposure to the world of commercial banking was a fantastic first step.