Software Engineering Intern Review

The core of the role is contributing to a real business project within a Scrum team. You work in sprints, participate in daily stand-ups with your Scrum Master, and contribute to end-of-sprint demos and retrospectives. Scrum Masters oversee interns on a 1-to-8 basis.
Alongside the team Scrum project, you also work on an independent individual project to showcase your own skills and thinking.
Throughout the 8 weeks, the diary is structured with regular learning touchpoints:
Engineering Principles workshops — understanding how engineering works at scale in a major bank
Spotlight sessions — Q&As with senior leaders across Retail, Architecture & Engineering, AI, Wealth, and Commercial & Institutional
Learning Lounge sessions — focused skill-building (e.g. Agile, Presentation Skills)
Presentation Skills workshops — preparing you for your final assessment
Two "Day in the Life" shadowing sessions with your buddy give you a real feel for life as a graduate engineer. There are also social events, a CSR day, and networking opportunities built into the programme.
You're supported throughout by a Graduate Buddy, your Scrum Master, a Programme Experience Consultant (weekly 1:1s covering progress, pastoral care, and wellbeing), and the Early Talent team.
The programme closes with a Final Presentation (Weeks 7–8) where you present your work. Assessment is based on Scrum Master observations, a behavioural interview, and your individual presentation. Successful interns may receive an offer for the 2027 Graduate Programme (50–75% conversion expected).

Yes — from day one I was contributing to a real project within an Agile team. I also led my own individual project.

I've developed both technically and professionally. On the technical side, python/OPA Policy Engine ect. But I think the biggest growth has been in Agile ways of working / communication — something you don't really get from university.

The support structure was excellent — I had regular 1:1s with my Programme Experience Consultant, a Graduate Buddy for shadowing, and a Scrum Master guiding the team. But what I valued most was that the support empowered me to work independently rather than hand-holding me.

The culture genuinely surprised me — I expected a large bank to feel quite formal, but in practice the team was collaborative/open/supportive. The Spotlight sessions with senior leaders also showed me that insight about the organisation's direction or values.

I genuinely enjoyed the internship more than I expected to. The combination of real project work, structured learning, and a supportive team made it feel like a meaningful experience rather than just a summer job.
What I enjoyed most was the Scrum project — being part of a real team, contributing to something with actual business impact, and seeing my work demoed at the end of a sprint was incredibly rewarding. There's a big difference between writing code for a university assignment and writing code that gets used by a real organisation.
I also really valued the Spotlight sessions with senior leaders — hearing directly from people working in AI, Architecture, and Engineering gave me a much broader picture of where the industry is heading and where I could see myself in five or ten years.
If I'm being honest, the 8 weeks went faster than I wanted them to. The one thing I'd have changed is having more time — there were ideas I wanted to explore further and relationships I'd have liked to develop more. That's probably the best sign that I genuinely enjoyed it.
Overall it's solidified my interest in a career in engineering, and specifically in an environment like this one where scale, collaboration, and real impact all come together.

Yes