RBWM Summer Intern Review

The placement was extremely enjoyable and kept me challenged throughout.

My colleagues were extremely friendly and truly welcomed me into the working environment. There was never a moment where I thought my work was failing to add value to myself and my colleagues, and my working was appreciated in whatever area it was delivered.

Due to internal difficulties within the branch I was operating in there was very little supervision available to me, but I recognise this as part-and-parcel of the situation at the time. The difficulties arose prior to the internship, where only a very brief outline of the programme and our expectations was provided.

Operations in a branch are very much dependent on the amount of customers coming in to conduct their business. Although there were "lull" days the team kept me constantly occupied with a range of tasks that pushed me to improve my skill set.

Due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the work conducted within this area of business I was not left to my own devices, and was rarely given any tasks that may extend some risk to the bank. My manager was keen to put me in the deep end despite this; where I would often be in a supporting role aiding my colleagues or dealing with customer queries directly that were not overly complicated.

This internship helped me greatly in two areas: independent working and communication skills. When people talk about a working day having no pattern and being very fluid, it is entirely true. There were often times where it was my responsibility to engage in activities that would enrich the experience of myself and the customers I dealt with - including being ready to adapt to customer situations and to provide meaningful results. A customer-facing role brings you out of your skin in ways that you never thought possible.

The atmosphere was fantastic. Everyone was always willing to help in any way they could and everyone was always easy-going and approachable.

My fellow students and I were given very limited materials concerning the structure of the programme, and only broad outlines of the values which we were supposed to adhere to. This was of limited use in determining what was expected of us, however our managers gave us a better indication by showing us what was expected of full-time employees.

The salary provided was outstanding and there were social events before and after the internship itself. The bank made great efforts to develop us in the ways we wanted and showed commitment to our needs throughout the placement. During the internship there was also the opportunity to perform some volunteering to the benefit of the community which was encouraged by the bank.

There is a clear path of progression through the organisation and the bank is very keen to retain individuals on placements such as these.

The other placement students were absolutely fantastic. There were several opportunities for us to network and find out about the experiences others were having. We were also given opportunities to get to know individuals on other schemes throughout the bank, meaning that there was a wealth of interesting people to connect with.

The area in which I worked was actually my home town, so I commuted in from my parents' house every morning. Suffice it to say that I spent very little on work-related expenses, and more on the social side of things.

The nightlife in this area was not London-esque, but there was plenty of opportunity to pursue the Nightlife scene.

Volunteering during the internship was encouraged and there were also organised volunteering events that we could join in with. My colleagues and went out to socialise and to pursue other activities (mainly swimming as it was summer) on many occasions, which gave me the opportunity to relax and connect with those around me on a personal level as well as a professional level.