Intern Review

The Spring into Banking Insight week was an amazing experience. I have learned so much from the short experience and has given me a perspective that I would not be able to get anywhere else. There were some smaller issues, structure and less useful sessions, but overall I would highly recommend taking part! My interviews for the assessment center were also surprisingly enjoyable, though I did feel challenged!

The graduate recruitment team put a lot of effort into crafting the week which showed throughout the events. The speakers really enjoyed speaking with us and were happy to talk afterwards. In some of the shadowing sessions, it seemed as if the person I was shadowing didn't want me following them.

There was plenty of support throughout, we always knew where to be at all times. We received preparation throughout the sessions that helped for the assessment center on the final day. The team was great at facilitating and comforting us during the entire week. At no point did I feel like I couldn't ask for help and all issues were dealt with quickly

I learned an incredible amount about banking that I otherwise couldn't have received had I not completed the Spring Week. Coming from a background in the sciences, it was helpful to understand the business/finance side of banking. Shadowing the employees was the most valuable part in really understanding the day-to-day functions of each role. Some sessions weren't particularly helpful and seemed too common/generic to be of value - "building your brand."

The assessment center interviews could have been arranged more evenly such that there wouldn't be large periods of waiting time for some candidates. The fact that the week ended at different times for everybody meant that we didn't have the opportunity to meet at the end for a social. The general structure of the week - 2 days of information sessions/presentations etc. and 2 days of shadowing worked well. The first two days gave a good foundation for the rest of the week.

There was a great atmosphere throughout - all the other interns, the graduate recruitment team, and other DB employees were very friendly. The people I was shadowing tried their best to maximize my time there, introduce me to their team and made me feel welcome. It was a nice environment, being surrounded by like-minded people with similar aspirations.

The people from the business who presented/we were shadowing/interviewed us, obviously had taken the day to help us learn and as such invested in our development. We had the external training company that DB usually uses to train their graduates come and do some sessions with us.

The shadowing activities was all that was necessary. Everything I could possible want to know was directly answered. They also taught me a lot about any other topics that I didn't understand during the shadowing sessions.

Very much so. It's clear by speaking to the employees during the networking sessions of the culture present at DB. They openly describe the culture - relaxed at DB compared to others - and you get a real sense by what they say.

We had a number of presentations on the first day covering all the different business lines and divisions in a bank. We then had more specific presentations and sessions on our specific areas of interest in the bank. These were very helpful in understanding how we fit in and to see what the possible career progression might look like.

The hotel had a number of hidden fees which we should have been noted of - breakfast, luggage storage etc. We did have all lunches covered and numerous canapes/snacks throughout the week.

There were some opportunities, which included many members of the senior management. There was a graduate panel, though it would have been helpful to meet the graduates in a networking session too. We also were paired with a buddy.

I would have preferred more networking/social sessions to meet with the other interns. We had a social on the first day but due to the awkward structure we weren't able to even plan our own for the last day after the assessment center.

These activities were mentioned towards the beginning and when asked, though it could have been explained more clearly. Anybody we asked however were very happy to share their stories e.g. charitable work.

Yes, definitely take part in this spring insight week. If the following points I mentioned would be improved, this would be an incredible experience.