RateMyPlacement
The RBS Legal First Step program was a great way to get an introduction into both the legal, and banking industries. It was a great opportunity as an A-Level student to start building my network and get into contact with people in both professions to start to build an understanding of which career path would suit me most. It was also great to participate in many of the events put on by the firm which included insight days with partner firms.
I thought it was a great insight into the graduate program which is quite useful. It had interesting sessions and opportunities to engage with the speakers
Really interesting to hear from speakers from the chosen department as well as generally from the group. Encouraging and helpful advice from the recruitment team in applying to graduate roles and internships within the group. It was great speaking with others participants in the zoom breakout rooms, and learning about their current motivations and aspirations. Interactive zoom sessions using stickers and polls was the most fun aspect of the week - it was really fascinating learning about other people views on current affairs and workplace culture.
I enjoyed the insight immensely; there was a huge effort to include different parts of the bank, as well as make the experience as focused on your particular division (mine was Structured Finance) as possible.
I found the insight week fantastic. I enjoyed the range of employees that I was able to engage with- NatWest graduates, to employees who hold senior positions. I'm glad that every virtual day finished with a questions and answer session as it allowed me to ask questions that occurred to me throughout this insight week and ensured I never missed out on the opportunity to find the answer. I can confidently say that at the end of the insight week, I feel informed and inspired.
Excellent sector specific speaker sessions but not enough technical insights
I really enjoyed the insight week and far more than I expected considering it was online. The whole week provided a very good insight into the NatWest group and my chosen stream. The week was very engaging and had a very varied program which helped add to the enjoyment. For example, I enjoyed hearing from business leaders then the following session hearing from current grads within the company. You could tell lots of effort was out in to try and make the week enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this insight as it allowed me to understand better the purpose of NatWest Group and the role of a Software Engineer in the company. Everyone was extremely helpful, from the HR team, to the external partner that gave a session on Ethical and Social Responsibility. The overall environment was friendly and I felt very comfortable asking questions to the speakers. I really liked the fact that there were Q&A sessions at the end of the days to ask any general clarification.
Despite it being virtual, I think that it was structured very well. I found it very engaging and informative. The last session on ethical and social responsibility was the most engaging, as we were put into breakout rooms where we were able to network with around 4/5 other candidates on the insight week and were able to engage with those running the session through stamping and messaging on the Zoom chat. The graduate panel session was also very engaging as we were able to ask division specific questions and hear about their journeys.
Good virtual learning and understanding of the bank
Was enjoyable and informative and was nice how personal experiences were shared by the bank employees to make the insight week more relatable
I liked it really much. The only regret is that we had to do it online due to the pandemic.
8 - The fact that it was virtual detracted from the experience, but given the pandemic it was good. In an area that I knew very little about, the introduction and activities were suitable and really helped me develop my understanding. Meeting others and networking was also critical to the experience, and I would recommend the experience to others. I think the insight could have been more personal on the first day, but otherwise it was great.
NatWest arranged a wide range of interesting talks about not only the business but the sector as a whole and it’s future. This was thought provoking and informative when considering future career paths in the finance sector. Talking to the current graduate scheme students was particularly interesting. They were incredibly warm and gave relatable, relevant advice about the job and application process. I would definitely do this NatWest insight scheme again and recommend it to anybody else.
I enjoyed the experience because even though we had to carry out the internship online, the team at RBS/NatWest tried exceptionally hard to make us feel included and teach us about the company. I learned not only about my section of the firm but also about the company as a whole and how it operates. This taught a lot about their corporate values and the dynamic at the workplace. The sessions were interesting and interactive.
This virtual experience was simply out exceptional. For their first attempt at an online internship during the current pandemic it is without a doubt a resounding success. All members of the NatWest group were extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful. All aspects of the internship were engaging, and eye opening. We had talks with senior business speakers regularly with extensive time for Q&A. I would highly recommend an internship virtual or otherwise with the NatWest group in the future
Due to the COVID-19 crisis I think the bank went above and beyond to ensure that we were able to gain an insight into our respective divisions and that we could develop over the month that we were interning online. We were given various opportunities and the bank adapted well to the new scenario we had all been put in. We were able to network with graduates and other interns and more senior personnel which was a glimpse of what the graduate role would entail.
It was a well rounded experience with lots of opportunities to learn and meet with other people. There were plenty of opportunities to meet the other interns via fun sessions.
I found the whole experience really educational and rewarding. To organise a virtual experience in such a short space of time that had a great balance of being both informative and interactive is something that I think the whole NatWest group early careers team should be really proud of. I think the fun day Friday feature meant there was always something to look forward to at the end of the week and often gave us interns a great opportunity to socialise.
