Internship Review at The Royal Bank of Scotland Group

The Role

Role Description

Intern in the Finance Department. No further details as it'll be too easy to identify me!

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Very valuable insight into what a career in a bank would actually be like.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

I felt fairly valued by my team, but especially at the start I did find myself with little to do. This fortunately did change as my placement progressed however.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

My line manager was very supportive and was always willing to answer any questions I had.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

To be honest I was a bit bored to start with but as I was trusted with more tasks I was constantly busy. Especially when I had to get everything finished before the end of my internship- lots of pressure.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I was meeting other managers by myself towards the end of my placement so definitely lots of responsibility. All my work was of course checked, but I felt my team trusted me to be able to justify my decisions.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

My placement was very specific so a lot of the skills I gained are non-transferable, but I learnt a lot about working with others under pressure, presentation skills and other things that most definitely are transferable.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

I was the youngest person in my team by quite a lot but everyone was still very friendly to me. Big focus on work so not the chattiest of places, but that's what you'd expect really.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

There were numerous trips to London for training courses (where most of the interns where) and social events organised by RBS so it was very organised and structured.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

We had several presentations about presentations and networking as well as an Excel course; the Excel course in particular was useful even if I didn't use Excel at all during my placement. There was a lot of focus on personal development- the final internship project/presentation and reviews during our placements for example.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Subsidised/Company Gym

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Offered place on Graduate Scheme :)

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Lots of socialising between the London interns and between those in Edinburgh too.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Edinburgh's quite an expensive place to live; plus you actually work out of the city centre so bus fares did begin to add up to quite a substantial amount.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Good, but expensive- especially on Saturdays. I was there during the Edinburgh Festival though so that was a great experience.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 1/10

Football for the boys but nothing for the girls. Disappointing.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

Definitely apply for internships in your penultimate year; even if you're not sure if banking's for you. RBS offer a great structured internship scheme, if you don't get/want a place on the Grad scheme then you'll still walk away with lots of (very employable) experience.

Review 40/70 for The Royal Bank of Scotland Group

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