Intern Review

My role involved supporting the RTGS renewal teams in researching the impacts of certain proposed policies. This involved online research, numerical analysis and calls with other banks and central banks. Day to day work consisted largely of this type of research, but there were frequent meetings with other interns and other areas of the bank to help interns gain a wider understanding of the banks work and impact in the UK economy and the wider global economy.

My skills in research were strengthened greatly during this internship. This was especially important when researching information which was unlikely to be available in the public domain, an interesting and challenging experience. I also enhanced my presentation skills with a final presentation of my 8 weeks research to a large number of bank staff. I was given the opportunity to practice this presentation to help hone my skills before the final presentation at the end of the internship.

I feel as though interns were given a great deal of responsibility during this short 8 week period. It was surprising to be working on projects other bank staff had not really engaged in before, making interns feel as though our work was genuinely very meaningful. This was a rewarding experience. It was particularly exciting to be able to present findings to industry experts and provide genuinely useful information to other staff who were involved in policy implementation.

There was plenty of support and guidance throughout the entirety of the 8 week internship. This was both from my team, my line manager, but also wider contacts within other areas of the bank I was not directly involved with. There is a very open culture at the bank in which managers are always happy and willing to speak to interns, even if it is just about our experience and not directly related to the work.

The atmosphere in the bank was uplifting and empowering to interns. It was very surprising to have the opportunity to work on projects that may have been presented externally of the bank, and projects which had not been touched by other members of the bank. The feeling of leading the banks thinking on a piece of work, albeit small, was very exciting. There was a great atmosphere between interns, who went out regularly in groups after work.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship from day 1 all the way to the end of the 8 weeks. Every member of my immediate team was extremely welcoming and they were always on hand to answer any questions or even to just chat. The bank buddy system was great for new joiners. With this scheme, interns are allocated a buddy who joined the bank recently and who is there to guide interns through their first few weeks at the bank.

Yes

Firstly apply to lots of different internships and not just the bank. Then chances of you getting on any one internship is miniscule, but combining many applications will maximise your chances. Experience of other psychometric and mathematics tests will set you up well for the bank. Make sure you have practiced common interview questions for the pre recorded interviews, and do plenty of research about the bank and current affairs so you have plenty to talk about in the assessment center.