Intern Review

Over the course of 10 weeks, I have been lucky enough to take part in client meetings, presentations, preparing letters for clients and much more, which has really developed my knowledge of the financial industry. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed about RBS was the culture of the work. People were friendly and approachable, willing to listen to any questions or problems that you were facing, something which really helped me excel with the tasks I have been given. Throughout this internship as well, I feel like I have not only met future colleagues, but also made really good friends. With an emphasis on networking and communication, I have been allowed to experience different parts of the bank through shadowing team leaders and joining team meetings. I would definitely say I have enjoyed it.

In all honesty, I've been quite fortunate with the teams I've been in. There's been a lot of banter and fun even when work gets serious. They welcome my opinion of certain topics and I would definitely feel I've added value in departments.

In my ten weeks, my line manager has set numerous tasks for me to do but when things get busy, I've had plenty of work given to me by others members of the team. This has been a great way of not just getting to know other members of your team, but more exposure to different projects people are doing. You're only on your desk for four weeks so its best to get as much as possible. People have been more than happy to explain tasks in full and whenever you're stuck, they are always more than happy to get you back on track. One thing you realise as time goes on, is that they really have no expectations from you. They don't expect you to know the ins and outs and asking questions is really the key if you want to get things right!

Certain days can be quite stressful but others can be very slow. They'll be times where I'm not doing much, but to pass time I read the FT or BBC News. Other times I'll be working on a number of projects and writing demand letters, working on the SCR of companies, client meetings and calls and evaluating companies. My usual hours are 9-6 though so nothing too hard.

Within my second rotation in Recoveries, I was given a lot of responsibility. There is a lot of client exposure, internally and externally. I'm assigned tasks to write demand letters that actually go out to clients and then writing summary sheets for different projects that team heads take into meetings. Whilst it takes a while to get into the habit of doing things, once completed, there is an element of 'you can do anything'.

I think one thing I would tell people who take any form of internship is taking take an open mind into everything, even if you think you wont enjoy it. Also, people skills are key and make sure you make a good impression on everyone, because at the end of the day, this is like a ten week job interview. Other than that, all tasks are explained thoroughly and whilst you wont understand the full picture, since this requires excessive training etc, you understand exactly what you're doing and why it is important.

Recent job losses in my team meant that the mood in the office wasn't too great. Whilst these things happen, its not nice for an intern to experience this. It could easily be us one day. However the rest of the time, the generally mood was very good. There was a lot of banter flowing and people were really friendly. Once they start taking the piss out of you, it means they like you.

Within RBS, there were tons of external events after work. From payday drinks to sports day to nights out which really helped us develop good relationships amongst one another (the interns). RBS also works on a rotation basis. 2 placements for 4 weeks which is great as you get to see more of the bank. I was quite unlikely as I had 2 rotations In GRG but it only meant I had to network harder! It ultimately led to me shadowing people in Corporate Advisory, Corporate Coverage and DCM.

Every other week there were talks from different people from different departments, allowing you to understand different aspects of the bank. We were also given a 2 day excel training which has really proved helpful in some of the work I have been undertaking.

I don't think anyone could accurately predict this. Being RBS, a government owned bank, with the good/bad bank split, it is not easy to predict what is going to happen. However one thing I can definitely say is that RBS spend a lot of their graduates and make them feel a part of the firm. Graduates are more likely to be kept and really are the future of the bank.

If you like going out and are quite social, there is plenty of opportunity to go out. I was lucky enough to go for Friday lunch drinks with my team, 2 hours at the pub watching cricket! Loads of interns go out and its very much work hard play hard.

Depends where and what you buy. To lower costs I get the occasional subways.

With Vodka Revs and Shoreditch around the corner its not a bad place to work on a Friday night.

There was a football league running every week for those wanting to get involved. Other than that, if your team weren't social, you'll be going home.