Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed the internship because I was given numerous opportunities to get involved in real work and take responsibility for my tasks. I've gained more knowledge about the financial markets, technical and soft skills and made connections with high-profile professionals in the industries.

They are very helpful and approachable. I never find any difficulty in asking them questions about their experience with the bank and about technical knowledge.

My Line Manager is demanding but he is a great mentor. He provided me with a lot of helpful feedback on my performance and arranged for me to meet people across the bank to learn about other divisions. Despite setting high standards, he trained me to be a more meticulous and professional individual. He also showed great care in my day-to-day work and ensured that my learning experience at the bank was enriching.

It varied but I was generally occupied with work. I normally left the office at around 7PM but when the team was rushing for a deadline submission, I finished work at 10-11PM. I never felt bored at work and was always excited to get involved in taking new projects and learning new skills every day.

I was actively involved with all the processes of the deal in my team. For example, I wrote a few sections in the credit submission paper and carried out financial modelling. However, due to my limited knowledge as an intern, I was not involved much with more complex tasks such as discussion on the debt structure.

I have gained more knowledge about the financial markets and learnt how to present myself as a professional. More importantly, I've learnt to pay attention to detail and take pride in my work.

People across division and seniority are friendly and approachable.

Personally I preferred working with my own office team as the tasks are more interesting and organised. I did not enjoy additional programmes for the interns such as learning lunches or drinks because they were not very helpful to my understanding of the bank and the industry.

Technical training in the first week was helpful but adhoc sessions were quite lengthy and reptitive.

RBS is restructuring and gaining its position in the commercial banking sector in the UK. It has shrunk the riskier investment banking division and focused more on the domestic market so as to build a more resilient bank.

There were a few drinks and social networking sessions.

High cost of living is expected in London.