Income Analyst Review

The experience at Santander was a good insight into the world of finance, and in particular, retail and private banking. I felt like I emerged from the work experience with a greater knowledge of both of these areas.

As a work experience employee, I was surprised at how much responsibility I was given within the firm, and worked on real, live projects that the teams and clients would be using. Therefore, I felt extremely valued.

As an employee, I felt very comfortable approaching other members of the finance team for help, and there was always someone at hand to assist me. I felt like the team helped me to maximise my potential and develop my skills.

I believe the skills, both financial and soft, will come in useful both in my degree and later in life. The insight into private banking in particular was a very interesting one, and something that I will be considering in future. The soft skills of working in a team, under pressure and to a deadline will be invaluable both at university and beyond.

The insight was very well structured, as there were events arranged during the period that I was there, so that one could see other parts of the Santander business. I was given an individual timetable which clearly explained the structure of the programme.

The work was nicely challenging and the finance team were supportive, and so I felt valued and pushed. I felt like I was always contributing and doing something worthwhile. I certainly enjoyed the atmosphere.

Santander did not really invest a great deal of time in development or personal training, although I did pick up on things during my time there. In such a short space of time it is difficult to invest a lot of time in development and training.

I clearly saw what a role within Santander would entail during my time working there, as I worked proper business hours, worked on active projects, and was often left to independently work, which I appreciated.

The culture in the finance team appeared very welcoming and relaxing, and it seemed in general like a good place to work. However, the culture of the rest of the company was not entirely clear, although I would assume it was similar.

The work experience was enjoyable and certainly provided me with a snapshot of retail and private banking for a large bank. In terms of future career, the experience certainly helped me realise which roles interest me more than others.

I was reimbursed expenses throughout my experience, although I was not paid. Even when travelling into London on peak trains, I was reimbursed immediately upon return to the office. I believe it was the same for others.

There were some opportunities to network and meet with other employees, although that was strictly within work hours. I felt I met plenty of employees during my time there, and did not feel the need to network outside the office.

Again, during my experience, I met mostly members of the finance team, and did not come into contact with the other divisions on the same basis. From that point of view, I met lots of useful and helpful staff in the finance team, and helped build up my network.

As far as I could tell, there were casual sports teams running for many departments, and so there was the opportunity to play for one of those. I am sure there were further opportunities, but I did not find out about them.

Without a doubt, my time at Santander gave me a good deal of experience in retail and private banking, whilst helping develop my skills. I would certainly recommend the experience to anyone wanting to find out more and work for a short period in finance.