Intern Review

by NatWest Group

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.6/5
  • The Role
    4.0
  • The Company
    3.4
  • The Culture
    3.3

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • It was clear that a lot of resources were put towards our internship program, I enjoyed many aspects such as gaining immense knowledge about different areas of capital markets and how diverse the division is in terms of desks and activities. Most seniors were approachable and friendly and others not so much. RBS is a changing organisation so I'm not sure if this specific period is reflective of how the organisation might look 2-3 years from now.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I was given a good amount of responsibility. Although don't expect to be thanked for hard work, that is a given. I felt like there were definite favourites among the managers but I felt I was treated fairly and professionally throughout.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • This is two-part. Due to the two rotations we had to do, I felt that my first was more of a "here's the work do it" approach and my manager was away from the desk for the majority of the period and wasn't very talkative. However, when I did talk to him he was a great guy I just wish we'd had more chances to interact. My second rotation was more structured and less "dropped in the deep end" (not that I think that's a bad thing, I also appreciated the close and consistent guidance and support of the seniors around me on that desk.

    3/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • First rotation in DCM was pretty hectic, I was assigned to three different desks unofficially, being a German, Swedish and, obviously, English speaker, so there was a lot of workflow from different areas. That is not a negative, I enjoyed the work I did and tried to get it right first time each time. I felt quite happy that I had been given so much to take on whereas other interns were complaining of boredom. Expect some late nights in DCM. But again some people, like myself, will like that and prefer to be kept on their toes. Second rotation was on LCM (Loans) and was more relaxed, probably due to the summer period, I felt like I really got to know the products here though as everyone was so keen to explain deals and why different products were suited to different corporates. I also gained a great understanding of the legal framework behind capital markets deals, which is quite heavy.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I genuinely think I was able to add value in both my placements, I worked on issues from many multinational corporates and in turn gained an understanding of pricing and pitching, which I was allowed to attempt myself on several occasions.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills I learned will 100% help me in with my degree and beyond, My understanding of concepts such as the yield curve and bond pricing has been ingrained, and it's actually quite fun knowing you can waltz into any further CM interview and actually know what you are talking about.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Bi-polar. Some days were talkative and other days people seemed very stressed. But that, again, is to be expected as we had an unusually busy summer in terms of deals. There were spells of banter, especially with the analysts but also with some seniors who all had a good sense of humour. There were the odd individuals who seemed like they would rather not talk to you at all, I ignored them accordingly.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Very well, the structure of the program was solid. With plenty of activities and team building skills, as well as speeches by senior management dotted around in the calendar. The rotational structure was interesting as it made us really push to get our first choice placements, I happened to get both my first choices through talking to the right people.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • It was clear that RBS had invested substantial financial resources into our program, with a host of events and a thorough training given at the start

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Company Parties/Events

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Depends what the future holds for the organisation. Many analysts were leaving after their rotations or not so long after their rotations. So I think it's natural to have some uncertainty about. I myself decided to opt out of being considered for the grad program due to some health reasons that needed to take priority. I would definitely consider applying for a grad job at RBS alongside all the other options available to me.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Very cool people on the internship. Everyone is bound to find some people with similar interests. Broad range of nationalities and backgrounds made for a great mix!

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • London - go figure.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Went pretty hard on Fridays but they always ended early for me due to being so tired at the end of the week. But saturdays were great, and Thursdays can be good for a cheeky pint.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Not really apart from charity

    2/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

September 2014


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