Commercial Banking summer intern Review

The virtual experience involved a mix of Early Careers led events and days in a specific placement working with a team in Commercial Banking. There were lots of development sessions, business speaker sessions, socials and networking events led by Early Careers. Two days a week were based within my placement which involved attending team meetings and meeting with individuals within teams. I was also given research/live deals to do to learn more about what my team does.

My networking skills have got much better and there has been a big focus on giving interns as many possible chances to meet with a wide variety of people in the bank. Development sessions on confidence and presentation skills have really improved my ability to present to a group of people I do not know. I also now know more in general about commercial banking and the roles it encompasses

Really interesting because I had no prior knowledge of NatWest or banking. I was surprised at the variety of roles within the bank. I was also surprised at how much you can vary your role within the bank by getting involved in various groups no matter what your role. I learnt a lot about NatWest purpose which then helped explain a lot of the processes and guidelines in place

Everyone I have met is unbelievably friendly and I was surprised at how much time people would take out of the diary to meet me. There was a big emphasis from my manager that the work/research he was giving me that I actually enjoyed doing/learning about. In team meetings everyone had the chance to contribute and I immediately felt welcomed which was really helpful to settling in.

I surprised myself at how much I enjoyed the internship. I was doubtful coming into it due to lack of experience but the friendliness of people in the bank really made it enjoyable. A lot of the sessions are structured in a really useful way to make them relevant to interns. My opinions being appreciated made the work interesting as I knew my ideas would be taken on board

Yes

Don't worry about not having banking knowledge and instead focus on showing transferable skills as you can alter learn about banking. Also be ready to contribute in group discussions and be innovative to bring new ideas in the assessment centre.