Micro-Placement Student Review

During the micro-placement (two weeks long) in a Santander retail branch, I was given a choice of research topics – I selected technological advances in the banking industry. Throughout the internship I prepared for a presentation I was to give at the end. All placement students were also required to fill out a booklet of things we had learnt about retail banking and Santander. My daily interactions were mainly with the branch manager who was extremely friendly and a helpful point of contact. On one day we helped arrange a charity fundraising event for the branch. However, little no responsibility was given and placement students had no real hands on experience. Resultantly, we were left with very little to do other than research for the project we had been given. At the end of the week, we gave a presentation on the topic to the branch manager. Initially we were told it would be given to head office staff, however, this transpired to be incorrect.

Through the individual research, I was able to gain quite a lot of knowledge into technological advances in banking. Speaking to the manager about some these developments further helped compound it. Through observation of day-to-day retail banking procedures, I gained a broad overview of these.

Whilst all members of staff were extremely welcoming and friendly, the branch was fundamentally too small to accommodate the other placement student and me. As such we often had to work at a nearby coffee shop when clients would come in for meetings, and we could no longer use the meeting room. Overall, I would say there were not enough substantive things to do. I would rather have gained active experience of the procedures than have been encouraged to jot down notes about them in a pre-made activity book.

The manager seemed appreciative of our interest in retail banking and Santander and the presentations given by the other placement student and me were met with enthusiasm. We were informed that they would be forwarded to head office, although did not receive further comment on this.

Whilst an activity booklet was provided and tasks were set, the overall placement lacked content. The booklet was overly simplistic and did not materially contribute to my learning whatsoever. Further, there was not adequate space for placement students in the branch.

The work placement was arranged through my university. They were in correspondence throughout to ensure that we were gaining adequate experience. Overall, I would say though that more of a focus on a particular training goal could have been set.

We were advised by the branch manager of the current status of Santander products to be taken into account in our research. Further, if we had any issues or questions we were encouraged to just ask.

The micro-placement was unpaid, however, travel costs were offered. As the university who arranged the placement is situated in central London near to the branch, all work placement already had accommodation. If not, the cost of living would have been very high for an unpaid placement.

Other than a charity fundraising day which allowed people a chance to socialise, there were no opportunities outside of work. After work, people would go straight home.

No

Although it was interesting seeing how a retail bank functions on a day-to-day basis, the overall experience was not particularly beneficial. No hands-on experience was given and the research seemed to be without a point. I also think there would be more to learn from interning in the head office.

If applying for roles in branch, be prepared for a relatively quiet internship. In the application, stress your interest not only in Santander but also the particular retail element of the banking industry. Managers are quite flexible, so if there is anything you would like to focus on, don't be afraid to ask.