Commercial Banking Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed the virtual experience. Before the COVID situation, my experience with the company was supposed to be a face-to-face internship in the office. Although it was disappointing to have this changed to a virtual experience, I do believe that there have been some incredible benefits from doing so. The most notable benefit that I have experienced is the opportunity to hear from (and even have informal conversations with) senior business leaders at the bank. This is an opportunity that may not have been possible in a 'normal' office environment, so this is something I have really enjoyed during the virtual internship. In addition, I was able to learn about a wide variety of teams within my division, which gave me excellent insights into how the division is structured and helped me to identify my areas of particular interest.

Throughout the virtual internship, I really felt that the company values interns, particularly due to the fact that the firm was one of the first to commit to providing an online internship. All members of the organisation that I had the opportunity to speak with were incredibly friendly, regardless of their seniority within the firm. In addition, we were able to have an input in deciding the development sessions that we would find the most useful, and this also really made me feel valued by the company.

The support I received was incredible. Notably, my 'buddy' was extremely supportive and ensured that I was able to further explore areas I was interested in. They also really helped me to feel like I was part of the bank and its future. The Early Careers staff were in regular contact with the interns, and always keen to help us with any problems we were encountering, for example, with technical difficulties. Furthermore, the staff facilitated the sessions' zoom calls, etc, and were present during the sessions, ensuring its smooth running, for example, ensuring that a variety of interns were able to ask questions to the session's speaker(s), which I found very supportive and ensured fairness.

This experience has built my interest in developing a career in banking, and particularly within this company. I believe this experience will stand me in good stead for the future, as I learned about so many different teams within my division. In addition, as I am currently studying Finance as part of my degree, the insights I have gained during this experience will allow me to explore various different areas of the subject that I may not have investigated had I not taken part in this virtual experience. For example, this will be extremely helpful with regards to considering themes for my dissertation, as I was able to discover various areas of Finance and Banking that really interest me.

I believe that the virtual experience was structured incredibly well, particularly considering the unprecedented times we are living in. I particularly enjoyed the second week, in which the interns were placed into their specific programmes, and had the opportunity to join various sessions regarding their division. I thoroughly enjoyed this week, as I was able to learn about and explore so many different areas of Commercial Banking, and identify areas in which I was interested. Another key part of the structure was being assigned a 'buddy.' My 'buddy' was indispensable, and really supported me in ensuring I was able to learn more about the areas I was particularly interested in.

The general atmosphere during the virtual experience was fantastic. Everyone was so supportive, from the company's staff to my fellow interns. Help and advice was readily available. Given the fact that the experience was virtual, I was able to meet fellow interns from all over the world, rather than only those who were supposed to be joining a team at the same office as myself. This may not have been possible if it had not been virtual. This added to the atmosphere as there were a variety of questions asked during the sessions, and it was really interesting to meet different people, for example, in the smaller break-out rooms.

Before the virtual experience took place, we were invited to provide our input with regards to the development sessions which would be taking place during the virtual internship. This allowed us to identify the areas in which we would like to improve ourselves, which I think was a great opportunity. NatWest invited external companies to train us, who specialised in the specific area for development which we had identified. One of the most eye-opening sessions was regarding 'Maximising Your Potential,' which really encouraged us to self-reflect.

The virtual experience certainly helped me to gain an insight into what it would be like to have a full time role within the company, and specifically within my division. During the second week, we were able to really delve into our division and find out about the different teams that operate within Commercial Banking. This really helped to give us an idea of the types of roles within each team and the work that would be involved. However, as this was a virtual experience rather than the planned face-to-face internship, it could be argued that we were not able to be involved in the day-to-day activities of the division. Nevertheless, this would have been almost impossible in the current COVID situation, and I believe that the company did an incredible job in facilitating such a brilliant virtual experience.

The virtual experience definitely helped me to understand the company's culture. Throughout the internship, it was evident that the company was implementing its promises, such as being purpose-led. All staff spoke very warmly about the culture at Natwest, and were also able to reflect on areas for development, which was particularly refreshing. Thie fantastic company culture was also really highlighted by comparisons made by some members of staff who had previously worked with other firms, who spoke so highly of NatWest and its culture.

My virtual experience with NatWest has not only cemented my interest in pursuing a career within Banking and Finance (particularly within NatWest), but it has also allowed me to explore different aspects of Commercial Banking, and identify the areas which interest me the most. Having the opportunity to hear from such a wide variety of teams has also allowed me to identify potential future roles and teams which may be well-suited to my interests and skills.

NatWest was one of the first companies to commit to the continuation of its programme, showing that the firm is really implementing its promises to be purpose-led. Although the delivery of the programme was rather different than planned, we had the opportunity to be part of an excellent virtual programme. The compensation we received was more than adequate for the virtual experience. I believe that this also shows the company's commitment to its interns and how much they are valued within the firm.

Networking was encouraged during my virtual experience. One of the most notable opportunities to meet other employees was the 'Virtual Coffee Session' with a senior business leader. This was a very relaxed, informal conversation in which a smaller groups of interns had the opportunity to ask questions to a senior leader within the bank. In addition, the CSR Council set the interns an optional challenge to raise funds for The Prince's Trust as a team. This was a fantastic opportunity to network with my fellow interns from different programmes, while supporting a fantastic charity. My 'buddy' was also vital in supporting me with networking opportunities and finding out more about the teams which interested me the most. Furthermore, the graduates who gave presentations during the sessions were very supportive and invited the interns to reach out to them afterwards if they had any questions that may not have been answered.

The Early Careers team set up 'Virtual Coffee Sessions' in which small groups of interns were given the opportunity to spend some time speaking with a senior business leader, in a very informal environment. I really enjoyed this session as it was very interactive and everyone had the opportunity to get involved and ask some questions. There have also been various sessions set up to enable interns to network with current graduates at the company, which has been a great way to ask questions in informal settings.

Throughout the internship, we had various presentations in which some external opportunities were discussed. The most notable would be the opportunity for graduates to get involved in one of the Graduate Councils. The CSR Council, for example, set the interns an optional challenge to work as a team to raise funds for The Prince's Trust. This allowed us to meet fellow interns from a variety of programmes, while raising money for such a great cause.

I would definitely recommend this virtual experience to a friend. Despite the current COVID situation, I truly believe that NatWest has been fantastic in facilitating such a brilliant virtual experience, and the staff have been incredibly supportive throughout the process. Although we were not able to be involved in the daily activities of our division (due to the COVID situation), we were able to gain a fantastic insight into the teams within our division, and had numerous opportunities to interact with senior business leaders.