Natwest Commercial Banking Internship Review

On my days in Placement, I would either meet with my Line manager to talk through my day, or have this done the day before. I would then have meetings with members of the team/bank so that I could get a good overview of the Commercial world and ask any questions I want. I would then ask to help people with specific projects to get first hand experience.

I've definitely improved my presentation skills and confidence, as there were specific sessions that they helped us with. My confidence and ability to talk in social settings and meetings definitely improved, due to how welcoming and kind everyone on the team was. Due to working on a business project and charity project with other interns, I definitely improved my team work and communication during the internship.

It was a good balance, if you asked for responsibility and showed time and time again that you were capable then you were given more, however if you didn't feel comfortable with this responsibility, then no one would have forced it on you. The internship required quite a bit of proactivity in terms of asking for work if you are low, and informing people you may be delayed if you are given too much.

I had meetings with my Line Manager/Members of my team almost everyday, this meant that if I needed help I was always able to ask. Everyone was extremely friendly and were always happy to answer my questions. I was given quite a bit of support and guidance at the beginning, but as time went on it became more a matter of asking for support and guidance when necessary.

There wasn't as much diversity within my team as I would have liked, however there were always conversations about how to be more diverse, including Diversity and Inclusion panels that I was invited to join. The intern cohort was very diverse in terms of race and gender which personally I thought was great to see. It's obviously the bank is trying to improve the diversity in the bank.

I didn't think I'd enjoy my internship having spoken to friends who did internships at different companies. However I loved my internship, everyone was so kind and welcoming and happy to talk to me when asked. The diversity was definitely a massive plus, and how much they told us about the bank as a whole. The bank clearly cared about the morals they talked about and that was very refreshing.

Yes

I would just say let yourself show through. If you care about certain topics, make that clear, they love to hear that you are passionate about things and care more than just about a paycheck. Being approachable and friendly will definitely help your cause, and try and make yourself human when speaking to people, and not just being a formality.