Data & Analytics Intern Review

Day-to-day consists of working on both the placement project (given by your line manager) and the business project, which is a collaborative task with interns from other business areas. The Data Analyst role is more focused on presenting results to other stakeholders so prepare to learn things like Tableau and Powerpoint. Other D&A placements may be in other areas such as data science where things like python are used more. There is a large focus on learning so a lot of your time is spent upskilling (e.g. learning SQL). Towards the end of the internship you will likely be delivering your work to real stakeholders so prepare for this.

SQL, Tableau, presentation skills, project management, working with internal stakeholders to deliver real business insights. The business focuses on many non-technical skills too, such as Agile methodology. Overall I feel more confident after leaving the internship than when I started. The bank is very modern and digital-focused so the skills you gain are valuable in an industry that's increasingly moving to the cloud.

Yes - although this is incredibly dependent on team and the business should consider ways to ensure more consistency between placements as it is almost entirely up to line managers. My experience with being given responsibilities was very positive but it may not have been for others and this is an area that absolutely needs improvement

The learning is largely self-directed, and you will mostly learn by doing (i.e. on the job). This has pros and cons - but if you want a faster paced and more intense enviroment it may not be the place for you. Information can be difficult to find internally due to the size of the organisation, but managers are supportive and will guide you. Interns are also paired up with a graduate, and a mentor for their business project so there's always someone to ask if you need help.

Really relaxed and laid-back; the work from home policy is very flexible in D&A particularly and you will not be chased up as long as you complete the work expected of you and attend meetings you said you'd attend etc. However, the culture can sometimes feel too relaxed (speaking only for the Edinburgh office) and this may be something to consider if you are looking to intern or join the grad scheme and want a more fast-paced enviroment.

I had a great time, made new friends, and picked up a lot of skills that are very relevant to the industry. I was given real responsibility and overall it's been a fantastic learning experience - although as mentioned before this needs to improve as it is not consistent across the programme.

Yes

Consider if the relaxed enviroment is right for you. APPLY TO THE OFFICE YOU WANT TO WORK AT IN THE FUTURE! Grad scheme offers are only made for the office you intern at so keep this in mind. Pay is also generally slightly lower than other banks (on non-internship roles), but still good. Your experience will be quite self-directed at times so make the most out of it and don't just wait for things to come to you.