Account Manager Support - Intern Review

I mostly enjoyed my internship. The internship gave me an insight into many different areas of banking, with an element of private banking. It showed me what a career in banking might look like, by getting me involved in the day to day tasks that my colleagues did every day.

I immediately felt like part of the team; my colleagues were very friendly and kind. One problem I experienced, however, was that there was not always work for me to do. This sometimes led me to feel that my talents were not valued by my colleagues, but I do not think this was the case; it was just a quiet time for the branch.

My manager was quite busy, so she could not always help or oversee my progress. Fortunately, my mentor also worked in my branch, and she was very helpful, and constantly gave me support and guidance when she could. There were times, however, when she was busy and I did not feel so supported.

On a daily basis, I was not very busy. There were some routine daily tasks which I completed and took an hour or so. From then, it was hit or miss whether there was work for me to do. Some days there was a lot; others there was very little. I mainly had to use my own initiative to find my own work projects.

I felt like I was given an appropriate amount of responsibility in the bank: not very much. In the highly regulated industry, it is important that everything the bank does is monitored correctly, so everything I did went through a second or third pair of eyes. However, there was some responsibility in customer interaction.

There are some skills, such as customer interaction, learning how to work in an office environment, and attention to detail, which I will certainly take beyond. On the other hand, there was very little stimulating skills that I will take beyond, which is a shame. I did not use my degree at all, but that is not surprising.

The general atmosphere was friendly. I had positive relationships with all my colleagues, and this was nice. It makes a contrast from other banks, which can be far more competitive. It sometimes felt a bit stale, however, since there were not very many people in my branch most of the week.

The internship was well organised by the HR department. They gave us a scheme to stick to throughout the duration of the internship. I do feel like some of my colleagues in other branches had very mixed experiences, however, and a lot of it is left to the branch you get.

The future employment prospects within the organisation very much depend on the type of person you are. For many people, the company will be perfect, offering a strong work/life balance, and allowing you to branch out and pursue your interests. However, some people may feel unstimulated by the work that the bank does, since most of it is governed by regulation.

This is something that was lacking in the company. In my branch, there was a good social scene; but in many, there was none, and I felt a bit sorry for those colleagues. There was very little social interaction with the other interns: I saw most of them only twice.