Graduate Careers at RBS

In the UK, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group offers 20 graduate programmes within its Leadership and Professional arm. There is a vast number of opportunities ranging from private banking & advice, global transaction services, security & risk, to communications, wealth management, property services and finance. If you add internship positions on top of that, the Group provides well over 30 schemes for recent graduates and current undergrads. Within GBM, intern and graduate opportunities exist within each of the four business divisions; Banking, Markets, Operations and Technology.

The entry requirements vary by programme, but you will generally have to make sure that your grades live up to the firm’s high expectations. It’s good to know that academic discipline does not matter as much as having a keen interest in finance and business. Apart from a solid academic background, RBS Group is also keen to employ those with strong analytical and organisational competencies. Soft skills are also important and in particular communication, numeracy, negotiation, language and presentation skills.

The Hiring Process

The application process varies between GBM programmes and non-GBM programmes but irrespective of which scheme you apply to, an online application form will kick proceedings off. The application format varies slightly from one programme to another.

With the initial application complete, all applicants should be prepared for psychometric testing – either a reasoning or numerical test, and in some cases both. Sometimes tests can be completed online, but some candidates – including GBM Banking hopefuls – may also be invited to an ability centre where they will have to take these aptitude tests in person. Reasoning tests are designed to check out your problem solving skills whereas numerical tests will probe your ability to work with anything number-related – so you better familiarise yourself with percentages, graphs, tables, etc.

For some programmes, including GBM Technology, applicants are required to first pass a telephone interview before being invited to an assessment day. The 35-minute telephone interview will screen your motivation levels for the role and questions could focus on your achievements and passions e.g. ‘What are you proud of?’, ‘Tell me of a recent achievement’ or ‘What are you passionate about in life?’

Now it’s time to give yourself a pat on the back – you’ve made it to the assessment centre! This consists of a mix of psychometric tests, situational interviews, group exercises and individual tasks, such as giving a presentation or getting involved in a role play.

For the group exercise, you will work with four to five other candidates and present a proposal to the team which will then be discussed. It’s really important to demonstrate your team people skills here. The presentation will give you 25 minutes to read through a longish case study which you will have to summarise and present on a flip chart in 10 minutes to an assessor – expect some gruelling questions afterwards! Role plays are often based on a business scenario and will see you deal with problems such as having to manage a troublesome colleague.

GBM Banking and GBM Technology candidates can breathe a sigh of relief, there’s no final interview! The rest of you unfortunately can’t relax just yet… The final stage is a competency-based interview, which is likely to start with asking you about your career motivation so expect the usual questions such as ‘Why do you want to work for RBS Group?’, or ‘Why have you applied to this particular division?’. The emphasis will be both on the technical and commercial so make sure your business acumen is up to scratch and you know about the firm’s structure. The interviewers will be keen to find out about some of your core competencies such as your leadership, decision making, teamwork and communication qualities. Make sure you come with a long list of examples of when you have led a team and had to deal with a problem, or when you did not manage to stick to a deadline, etc.

Graduate and Internship Programmes

Within GBM, three of the four graduate programmes last for two years (including Markets, Operations and Technology), however the Banking programme is a three year programme. Applications are open until the 13th November 2011 for all of the GBM Graduate programmes. Each scheme involves a certain number of rotations (three to four normally) which you will have to complete within the firm’s various departmental functions. The graduate programme within Markets however is not rotational.

GBM Internships for penultimate year students run during the summer months for 10 weeks and offer great insight into the business and a head start if you are trying to secure a graduate role ahead of your fellow students. There are also opportunities available for first year students, through RBS’s Easter Insight programme. Lasting a week, interns will gain first-hand experience of the bank’s inner workings, and if you make a good impression, you may even be offered a place on the summer scheme the following year! The deadline for both internships is 31st January 2012, and like the graduate schemes, you can apply for positions in one of the four GBM divisions; Banking, Markets, Technology and Operations.

RBS run a similar programme for their Group Leadership and Professional programmes, main difference being that these internship opportunities close a little later on 29/2/12.

Graduate Recruitment Info

Graduate Programme Info:

Approx. graduate hires in 2011-2012: Approximately 700 graduates across the RBS Group

Relevant degree disciplines: All academic disciplines

Compensation: Competitive salary

Length of graduate programme: 2 year programme in GBM Markets, Technology and Operations and a 3 year programme in GBM Banking

How to Apply (including deadline for applications): Online application at www.makeitrbs.com. RBS assess on a rolling basis so apply as early as early as possible.

Application deadline: 13 November 2011

Internship Info:

Approx. intern hires in 2011-2012: Approximately 600 across the RBS Group

Relevant degree disciplines: All Academic Disciplines

Weekly pay in 2011: Competitive salary

Length of Internship: Easter Insight Programme: 1 week | Summer Internship: 10 weeks

Dates of Internships: Easter Insight Programme: April 2012 | Summer Internship: July – September 2012

How to Apply (including deadline for applications): Online application at www.makeitrbs.com. RBS assess on a rolling basis so apply as early as early as possible.

Application deadline: Easter Insight Programme: 31 January 2012 | Summer Internship Programme: 31 January 2012

RBS Profile & Stats

With almost 140,000 employees worldwide and some of banking’s biggest brands under its umbrella, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group has come a long way since being founded by Royal Charter over 280 years ago. Although RBS group accepted bailout funds in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, the group today pulls in global revenues in excess of £30 billion thanks to its six primary operating arms and subsidiaries.

A Look at Divisions & Departments

As the investment banking hub, RBS GBM (Global Banking and Markets) provides financial services and solutions throughout the globe. The Group’s GBM arm specialises in debt and equity financing, risk management, investment and advisory services, and transaction banking. GBM provides these services to corporations, governments and financial institutions, servicing its clients from financial centres in six of the world’s regional hubs: London, Stamford, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney. GBM is subdivided into four major business divisions; Banking, Markets, Technology and Operations.

UK Corporate is the largest provider of banking, finance and risk management services to domestic corporate and commercial customers – from SMEs to UK-based multinationals with global transaction services as its key subsidiary.

The Group also has an EMEA retail and commercial division, similar to its US arm. RBS Group’s products and services are disseminated across Ireland through the Ulster Bank, while the RBS brand takes on these duties in Europe and the Middle East. The Group has a particularly strong presence in Romania, the UAE and Kazakhstan.

Personal Banking is made up of its household retail and business banking names – including its namesake the Royal Bank of Scotland plc, National Westminster Bank (most commonly known as NatWest), Ulster Bank, Drummonds, and Coutts & Co – as well as its wealth management services.

RBS Insurance plays an important role in the RBS machine, with its status as the UK’s number one home and motor policy provider. This division comprises some of the industry’s most recognisable names, including Direct Line, Churchill and its vehicle recovery business, Green Flag.

The Citizens Financial Group and Charter One Bank distribute the Group’s products and services across the US. The former is the 8th largest bank in North America, meaning that US retail and commercial is a vital branch of the RBS tree.

A little bit of history

Origins in national tragedy

In the 1690s a group of investors tried to set up a Scottish trading colony at Darien (modern day Panama). The venture was a terrible failure, costing Scotland 2,000 lives and a quarter of her entire liquid wealth. Partly because of these losses, Scotland accepted political union with England to form Great Britain in 1707.

A bank is born

One of the terms of the Acts of Union called for compensation to be paid to Scots for the money they had lost. A company was formed to manage the payments, and it soon found that it had spare money to invest. Its directors had the idea of starting a bank, and petitioned King George I for his approval. In 1727 a royal charter was granted, establishing The Royal Bank of Scotland.

Early rivalry

In the early years, RBS was in fierce competition with their older rival Bank of Scotland. Each tried to bankrupt the other by hoarding and then presenting for payment large quantities of its opponent's banknotes. Neither succeeded in inflicting a fatal blow, however, and eventually both sides had to accept the permanent presence of competition.

After operating from one Edinburgh site for the first 50 years, RBS opened a second branch in Glasgow in 1783. Yet, it was only when the bank established a site in London that it began to really expand during the 1870s. RBS first merged with a number of English banks and while London was beginning to swing in 1960, the bank set up a post in New York. The bank continued to acquire, culminating in Britain’s biggest bank takeover with the buyout of NatWest in 2000. RBS then went to smash the record for the world’s biggest bank takeover in 2007, with the acquisition of ABN AMRO. The next year, the bank’s fortune changed and with the financial crisis biting at it heels, RBS Group recapitalised and announced that the British Government (HM Treasury) would take a stake of the Group.