Personal banker Review

My role is to Administer the branch, serving customers over the counter, taking customer through appointments for applications including banking, savings, loans and credit cards. I also manage a diary for the branch appointments, taking inbound servicing calls and taking personal responsibility for the managing of risk in the branch, including carrying out risk checks

The apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to enhance and develop personal skills I already had, it also challenged me to adapt and learn new skills that were applicable to my role. There was an element of going outside my comfort zone and documenting and providing evidence of how I met targets set and showing how I had made improvements

The programme gave me the opportunity to engage with external professionals to learn new skills, there was a good element of working with other colleagues in different branches and networking. It was also good to look at other areas of the business and use challenges from the apprenticeship to encourage myself to take more leadership

There was at the outset a clear structure and a blend of online, face to face, and written work gave a good structure. Unfortunately with COVID the whole process migrated online and the removal of face to face made the whole process slightly less engaging. Again that is out of everyone involved control

There was a clear support package in place. Either from the internal team who were responsible for delivering the apprenticeship programme. There was also great support from my own line manager in facilitating suitable time to complete the work and the activities to complete the apprenticeship in an orderly manner. This required 20% of my work time focus

There was great support from My coach with BPP, Suzanne, we had some issues on the technical side of the BPP website but when those ever arrived they were quickly rectified by the IT team. Good guidance given when completing external examinations as well that help support me through the process

The overall benefit has been that I feel like I have learnt new skills that are in turn making me better at my role. The element of critically analysing yourself and evidencing how I have achieved this has been very beneficial

Not overly, and diffidently not in the new COVID era we are living in

Yes

I have always had great opportunities presented, wether that be on my day to day development and career progression, but also with additional offerings made, like the option of apprenticeship or engaging in a multitude off additional a learning available internally that can be used to further grow personal development

Like any job it is important to research the company you wish to join, get a feel for their values and ethos so that you can see if it will be a mutual relationship. It is also worth being yourself and acting in an upbeat professional manner for any potential interviews