Financing Solutions Summer Intern Analyst Review

I completed two 3-week rotations during my 8 weeks with the bank, 1 with ESG and Ratings Advisory and another with Infrastructure and Project Finance. The first week was entirely induction to the business while the final week was an assessed team project. During my first rotation, I was given a research task on new ESG regulations and had to deliver 2 presentations, where I was given a lot of ownership and also constructive feedback. In my second rotation, I was put on live deals and tasked to prepare client pitches and credit papers, which is very useful hands-on experience for an intern.

I was given a lot of ownership with the projects. During the internship, I had to do a desk project at the end of each rotation. After giving us clear instructions, my manager gave me great autonomy to decide what direction I wanted to follow for the project but also offered feedback and guidance at the same time whenever needed. Apart from that, I also helped prepare client pitches and present my research findings on new scientific regulations which was useful to the team so I felt that I was given a lot of responsibility during the internship.

In terms of hard skills, I have developed powerpoint and presentation skills as I had multiple opportunities to present my findings on different projects to the team. This helped me build my confidence and also data visualisation skills. I have also improved my research skills and learnt the basics of financial analysis. For soft skills, my team work has improved as I had to work with my deal team to support the operations. I have also been able to work on my interpersonal skills as I constantly meet and work with new people everyday at the bank.

I was given a lot of support and guidance during my internship, not only from my line managers but also from everyone on my team. For my desk project, I could reach out to my manager any time if I had any questions and had regular catch ups. With the rest of the team, they were approachable and offered to answer any questions I had on things that I did not understand. i was also able to reach out to other teams so the support was great at NatWest.

The company culture and atmosphere made me enjoy coming into the office to work every day. There is a flat hierarchy where everyone with different levels or seniority sat together in an open desk setting so I could reach out to everyone whenever I felt the need to. In general, everyone is very approachable and also not very competitive - people collaborate with one another and prioritise the interest of the bank so I felt really supported by my teams and the network of interns.

I enjoyed my internship a lot since I was given a lot of responsibility on meaningful tasks where I could really see the impact that I was making. I was also given a lot of support throughout the internship from my team and manager and could approach them whenever I had questions. I felt the collaborative and supportive culture at NatWest and it has really helped me learn a lot more about the banking industry through being engaged in the day to day operations.

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