Spring week intern Review

by Deutsche Bank

Best Student Employer

Rating

3.5/5
  • About You
    3.9
  • The Company
    4.1
  • Everything Else
    3.0

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the virtual experience?
  • I thought the virtual experience was very enjoyable. I learnt a lot about both the role of technology within the bank as well as the values of Deutsche Bank and what it would be like to work there. In addition to this, I developed some other skills in making presentations under time pressure.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • Most of the spring week, due to the online format, was listening and asking questions. I did however enjoy the sessions at the end of the day, when they went through our submissions for the photo challenge and presentations. I thought that that was nice and to hear good things from my peers and the organisers made me feel valued.

    4/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the virtual experience?
  • We received a lot of guidance about how to present yourself professionally and some industry specific knowledge on the different types of technology in the bank. We were given a good amount of support for all the tasks we were meant to complete. Indeed, sometimes it was more engaging to try without help in the first run.

    5/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • My degree is Engineering, and the knowledge I've gained about useful technologies and techniques (e.g. machine learning and distributed ledger, agile development etc.) will help me to progress my interest in good practice in coding and problem solving. The insights week has also helped to steer my career choices and I think technology within banking would be a really interesting area as a possible career. Finally, the soft skills developed, such as listening, making presentations and asking questions are valuable for anything I will be doing.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the virtual experience?
  • I thought the virtual spring week was remarkably well structured. The sessions were engaging and the organisers managed to fit a surprisingly large amount of content and activities into a short two days. I am especially grateful that Deutsche Bank managed to organise an alternative spring week online at such short notice.

    4/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your virtual experience?
  • During the virtual experience, the general atmosphere was very positive and all the interns seemed to be really nice people. The speakers were engaging and passionate about their topic, which made learning a lot more enjoyable. I found the internship to be much more interactive and fun than I thought it would and it was overall a great experience.

    5/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • This was a relatively short intern experience (only 2 days) so there was only so much that could be done. The majority was listening to presentations and asking questions of current employees and other speakers. However, I am very grateful to all people who had to give up their time on a bank holiday Monday and their Tuesday morning for coming in to speak with us as well as all the work that went into organising the program.

    4/5

  • 8. To what extent did the virtual experience help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
  • I think Deutsche Bank did this very well. On the second day, they brought in employees from many different areas of the bank (cybersecurity, chief data office, DWS, trade execution etc) to talk about what they did for their job. This was really useful for providing an insight into the variety available within the bank and practices they found valuable (e.g. agile development and behavious driven development). We also had the opportunity to talk to newer employees and ask them about their first few rotations at the bank. This gave us more of insight into what it would be like for one of us to work in the bank in a few years time.

    5/5

  • 9. How much did the virtual experience help you in understanding the company culture?
  • Through talking to many employees and asking them questions, we really got a feel for what the culture was like. The generally friendly and nurturing atmosphere of the spring week (encouragement to ask questions and the general approachability of the instructors) was also telling. One thing that really stuck with me was when one of the newer grads said that he asked his manager to help him develop his skills in the morning before work. I thought that this was a really exceptional thing to be offered - the opportunity to be able to improve yourself and at the cost of your manager's time, even though he was probably really busy himself. It is this helping attitude that really stood out to me during the internship.

    5/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • As this is the first year of my degree, I am still uncertain as to what career I will do in the future. This spring week has been very helpful in showing me what it would be like to work in the bank. Unfortunately, due to the recent outbreak of coronavirus, we were unable to go the bank in person. It would have been quite eye-opening to actually observe and learn from desk-shadowing.

    4/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • We were paid £100 for each of the two days in the program. As I was at home, there were no expenses to be reimbursed. However, back when the spring week was to be conducted in person, we were informed of the option to reimburse travel and accomodation costs etc.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • During the panels and the presentations, we could hear from currnet employees and ask questions of them. We had the opportunity to meet employees from many different areas within DB and at different points in their careers. However, due to the virtual nature of the spring week, there was not much opportunity to network and talk individually or in small groups.

    2/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • Unfortunately, as the internship was conducted virtually, there was not much opportunity for networking or other face-to-face events. However, there were still social activities such as the quizzes and photo/presentation competitions. It was always nice to see the work of others at the end of the day and to test your own progress in a fun and somewhat competitive way.

    1/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • Yes, there was a talk on wellbeing that detailed the many pursuits that employees take outside of working hours and the habits and hobbies they take to stay mentally and physically healthy, especially during these times of lockdown. We also had the opportunity to meet our Deutsche Bank buddies in a biweekly call, where we also discussed interests outside of work.

    4/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this virtual experience to a friend?
  • I would definitely recommend this virtual experience to a friend. It was informative and useful as well being interactive and engaging. I found that I learnt a lot, both about Deutsche bank and about technology in the banking industry in general. It was also really interesting to find out about the culture within the bank and how it is dealing with the problems posed by the current outbreak.

    5/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Information Technology

London

May 2020


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