Academy Trainee Review

I enjoyed my placement to an extent, the programme (RBC Academy) is a rotational programme, hence there is little choice about the department in which you are placed. This made my experience slightly less enjoyable than it might have been if I were placed in the area I am most interested in.

I felt very valued by my colleagues; the work was not patronising, I was thrown in the deep end with real work which I found enjoyable and challenging Colleagues taught me what I needed to know i.e. systems etc. My work was also used by colleagues which was very rewarding.

I was given very good support and guidance during my internship. If there were any issues I had, I could go and speak to the programme manager who was always available to help and offered me great advice. It was very easy to go to the programme manager with any queries.

I was very busy on most if not all days during my placement. The programme was structured in a way which meant that there was always something which needed my attention and needed to be worked on. For example, there was different projects to work on and my manager always ensured I had work to complete.

During my placement I was given quite a lot of responsibility. My manager and team entrusted me to work on various different projects with varying importance. For example, one of my projects involved doing research on the current economic issues in China and reporting my findings back to my team and giving them suggestions on how the bank should act. These suggestions where then mentioned in further meetings.

The skills I developed during the programme will help me with my degree, as there are assessed presentations that I will be doing. There were quite a few presentations during the internship which helped me learn my strengths and weaknesses and learn from there. Advice and training was also given.

The atmosphere could be quite dull at times but that was mostly due to where I was working (Credit Risk). It was however a very friendly atmosphere though as people were approachable and always willing to help. RBC is a great place to work in terms of atmosphere and I would definitely recommend it.

From the beginning there was a structure to the programme and we were given details from day one. It involved training days, mid and end term reviews and career meetings to find out what our next steps would be. I do think there should have been one or two social events organised however.

The company invested in my personal training and development somewhat in various ways. One way was the mid-term and end of term reviews, where my manager provided me with feedback on my performance and the work I had done. Another way was through the mystery event, which was a presentation workshop. This helped me to develop my presentation and communication skills. Outside of the internship, the company invest in my development by providing a bursary to aid me whilst I complete my degree at university.

The future employment prospects of the company are very appealing, especially the opportunity to convert my work during the academy into a summer internship. Knowing that my hard work and time spent with the company could aid me when applying for summer internships is what makes the company most appealing.

Friendly individuals.

London as you know is very expensive.

Didn't go out as a lot of the night outs are very expensive.

Not much.