Relationship Team Officer Review

Relationship Team Officer for Commercial Banking in Gatwick. I assist the Relationship Managers with their portfolios of customers, I am the first point of contact for customers on the telephone and I also carry out day-to-day admin.

Already coming from a Banking background, I feel I have learnt significantly more in the role I am in now. Have lots of brilliant opportunities arise for me and have further developed my knowledge and understanding of Bank Processes.

I am thoroughly enjoying the programme. However I don't not feel supported by my line manager and the people at BPP. I joined this apprenticeship scheme to develop and grow myself- which it is successfully doing.

By my colleagues in my team I feel very supported and feel as a real value to the team. However, I do not feel the same way re my Line Manager. I feel more of an inconvenience and that to him I am not helpful to the team.

I feel this is very poor. The steps and deadlines set out by BPP I think are very good, however my tutor/assessor I believe is very distracted, often calls me the wrong name and does not seem to be connected in trying to help me learn.

As above, this is incredibly poor. My tutor/assessor checks in with me on phone calls occasionally, but seems very disconnected when I am talking. I feel like she is not paying attention to what I am saying and where I have been asking questions on support and how I can push myself more, she has been very slow at getting back to me and not even giving me a proper answer. I have spoken with a few other apprentices who have the same person and they have all confirmed the above. Feel very unsupported and feel like I am going through this apprenticeship solely on my own!

I do not have a mentor in my role and the support form my line manager is lacking. As I said before, I feel rather like an inconvenience rather than support for my team. I have not been having much contact with my Line Manager and feel like I am not getting the support I need.

I feel the salary for the role as an apprentice is overpaid. For the job role as the Assistants I believe it would be the correct level, however as an apprentice, most likely coming straight from school, I think the apprentice role is paid very generously! NatWest offers to cover any travel expenses I may have for meetings/training.

I have had lots of opportunities to attend internal and external events and Volunteering/community work is often discussed a lot in my office and I am helping by taking part. I feel there could be more of a social side to it, both with members of my team and the other Apprentices within the Bank. As we are all in the same boat, I feel it would be useful to get us all together to meet and discuss more often.

Yes

Very good organisation, clearly doing the right thing and feel like it is doing the right thing for not only its customers, but for its staff too!

Tough application process. Speak up if you have ANY problems at all, no point falling behind because you're too shy to ask a question. Be confident and don't be afraid to put yourself out there and out of your comfort zone.