“The journey is yours to shape.”

Living in the halls was a great experience

“As some of the interns were living together in halls, it was very sociable. To begin with, we had welcome days for all the interns, along with charity challenges that we did in work time, which were a great way to bond with everyone. As a result, we became close friends very quickly, and many of those friendships continue on today.”

I was able to tailor my internship experience

“Already in my first week, I could tell this wasn’t going to be about sitting at a desk; it was about getting a well-rounded experience of what it’s like to work in finance. And if I wanted to shadow someone in a different department, I just had to speak to my manager about it. Her thinking was if it could benefit me in any sort of way, then let’s make it happen.”

As an intern, you’re taken seriously

“A highlight was when we were split up into small groups of finance grads to work on a presentation to give to the Group Corporate Treasurer. Ours was about the bank’s student offering and how to make it even more competitive. At first I felt a bit nervous, but then I really enjoyed being challenged because I saw I was really being taken seriously.”

A good work-life balance is highly valued

“It’s not just about work; it’s about your personal life too. For example, there are these group huddles – in the morning, we’d start off with a big quote about wellbeing. Like: ‘Take a breath. Don't do anything that's going to have an adverse effect on your mental health.’ It’s really clear that everyone, including senior management, is always looking out for you.”

The internship broadened my horizons

“I was adamant I wanted to go home to Bristol after uni. But when I ended up being offered a place on the graduate scheme that meant relocating to Jersey, I knew from my internship experience how easy it would be for me to settle in anywhere and have a great time with the team.”

Take every opportunity that comes your way

“There’s always something new to learn and never be afraid to fail – it’s all part of finding your own career path.”