optimisation and innovation Review

It was so much fun, I got a chance to meet so many different people in different areas of the business. The people there are great and everyone is very helpful if you are unsure about anything. the other interns were also easy to get along with. overall it has been amazing,

my colleagues treated me like family, they were very easy to get along with and were fun to be around, always supportive and happy to help no matter how big or small the ask is. went out to eat which I thought was very touching even though I was only an intern. going to miss everyone.

one of the best managers I have ever had. she taught me so much that I will never forget and will value for when I graduate and get a graduate position wherever it maybe hopefully with Santander. my manager was always and easily accessible if I was unsure or stuck on anything.

always on my feet , I knew what to do on a daily basis always something to do. if I had finished a job my manager had a list of things that needed to be done. I was up and down the country visiting branches, call centres, head offices. was brilliant as I got the chance to network with branch managers, directors and other very senior members of the Santander family.

enough for me to manage and a little more to test me. this was a good balance of work. if I felt I had too much to do my manager was happy to pull out some of my work load which wasn't necessary for me as my manager had given me enough for me to manage and a little more to see how I would work under pressure.

these skills have helped me a huge amount they will stick with me for the rest of my life. I have started using them a lot more in my part time job and can see a difference with my staff (employed as a weekend supervisor in a retail store) they are a lot more hard working and if I need a task completing they are prepared to give a helping hand.

the atmosphere was very lively, everyone was talkative and easy to talk to, it was not too quiet where no one would talk. staff were always bringing in sweets chocolates and sharing jokes but knew when to knuckle down and work when work needed to be completed, overall everyone was great.

my placement was very well organised, it was structured for the first month and then I got the chance to start looking into areas that I was interested in such as the new plastic money that was going to be released. my manager introduced me to her manager who was also very helpful and easy to talk to.

I had a 121 with my manager every week discussing my progress and what I needed to do in terms of the areas that I was being assessed on. my manager herself invested a huge amount of time into me which is what I am very grateful for. the bank did invest a lot in training sessions which were very helpful.

they look very appealing, the salary is very handsome and after speaking with staff currently on the graduate scheme it seems like they are progressing very well. this is something that id love to get on to. seeing how huge the bank is and is still currently growing there will be places to fill in the future. still waiting on them to see if they have offered me a job.

placement students and colleagues where mixing very well even if they weren't from there business area. colleagues want to know who we are what we do and what we got planned after university. its a good way for break ice between colleagues and placement students, you never know a manager may even take you on just from speaking to you when you first meet them.

the food and drink within the business was a little on the dear side, however eating out was not too bad as I was placed in the city centre of Milton Keynes so shops were not too far out and there were loads of restaurants that we could eat at so prices were not too bad. overall not too bad with pricing and costs.

I cannot say much on this but from speaking to other interns they said they did enjoy the nightlife there were many bars and clubs around the area, also if going out at night is not your thing then there is a lot one can do during the day such as indoor skydiving, indoor snowboarding, skiing and so on.

there were many charity events held outside of work such as a football tournament however people would just generally go out on Friday evening for drinks and wind down for the weekend. from speaking to other interns and colleagues they didn't really have much to say as they tend to do there own activities.