Internal Audit Intern Review

I enjoyed the experience because even though we had to carry out the internship online, the team at RBS/NatWest tried exceptionally hard to make us feel included and teach us about the company. I learned not only about my section of the firm but also about the company as a whole and how it operates. This taught a lot about their corporate values and the dynamic at the workplace. The sessions were interesting and interactive.

I felt very valued throughout the internship. Firstly, every session was tailored to what they thought we would get the most out of. Even a few of them were on topics we got to vote for. In addition, there was constant contact between myself and an older graduate throughout the programme. This made me feel valued and provided me with personal insights into RBS and gave me the opportunity to discuss my feelings and ask questions one-to-one.

As I wrote in the previous section, I received a good amount of support throughout the experience. In addition to weekly calls with a "buddy" where I could express issues or seek guidance, there was constant outreach from the careers team, asking us for feedback and if we needed anything. Their email was also always available and we were encouraged to reach out for any reason. I always felt supported and there was never an issue with this.

Although I am not studying a similar subject at my university that I did for my internship, I believe many of the skills will be transferable. We did a few sessions on team-work, including how to work as a team with people who have different personality types. In addition, we did some work on how to improve our confidence and working style. I found these skills relatable to any field, and I will be using them in my future endeavors.

The experience was very well structured. It lasted four weeks and each week had a theme. Each session was independent of the rest, but they each linked to each other with our common function in the bank. We received a full outline and schedule at the beginning of the programme, so we knew exactly what to expect and when things were happening. Sometimes there would be technical issues with large meetings, but this is expected given the circumstances.

The general atmosphere was excellent on the bank's part. They offered us a great experience even though everything had to be shifted online, and it was interactive at times. The only downside to this was that there could have been more interaction, both with staff in the sessions, but also with fellow interns. I understand how this can be very difficult to achieve online, and I don't think it detracted very much from the programme.

I think the experience gave me a really decent idea of what it's like to work at RBS. The reason I gave 6 is that I wasn't able to visit the office in person, which would have provided me with a better feeling for the atmosphere. I feel as though everyone was very candid with how they felt about the working life, and even though I didn't work in the office, I did get a decent sense of how it's like.

This was answered in better depth than how it's like to work there. Every session we had included parts about the overarching mission and ideals of the company, and those hosting the programme were very intent on getting those across. RBS is a very value-led organization and this was made very clear in the sessions. I feel like the experience gave me a good understanding of the company culture, and I think they did a good job in expressing that.

I was meant to receive a salary for working in person for RBS for the original internship. After COVID forced the entire event online, RBS announced that they would honor the salary and still pay it, even though we wouldn't be able to work for them as usual. I thought this was extremely generous of them, and I was very appreciative that they considered people's financial circumstances when making that decision. It's something I don't think every company would have done.

The networking opportunities were okay. We were able to network with our "buddies" and I suppose you could always reach out to the session hosts, but this was not really explicitly encouraged for the most part. I gave 5/10 because this would have been much better in person. Similar to social interactions, there were a few events organized by the interns, but with everything online, it was fairly difficult to interact and make lasting connections.

As I mentioned earlier, RBS is very mission-lead, and community interaction and outreach is one of their priorities. We learned a lot about the charity opportunities that their employees are given, and this idea of giving back to the community was driven home throughout the online experience. RBS is very focused on employee wellbeing and work-life balance, and this was certainly highlighted in multiple sessions. They have a robust charity programme, and each employee can spend a certain amount of time per year doing these programmes.