Commercial Real Estate Apprentice Review

I am a Commercial Real Estate Analyst. On a day to day basis I will analyse new deal opportunities (which involves creating cash flow models, writing internal papers and generally assessing the deal within the context of the wider real estate market). I also regularly engage with clients, investors, law firms and property valuers etc., and in pre-Covid times would spend a considerable amount of time out of the office on site visits or meeting with various stakeholders.

This role has been a massive learning opportunity. It has pushed me to develop my communication skills and given the opportunity to present my ideas in front of important internal stakeholders and clients. I have also been able to develop my technical skills; when starting this apprenticeship I had never even seen a cash flow model and credit paper but 18 months on I am now able to create and write credit papers from scratch, and give and informed view and potential deals.

I think like any job there are good days and not so good days. When a deals gets a approved or closed it always feels great, especially after putting in sometimes months of work to get there. The people are also really supportive (in general) and there is a real sense of 'being part of a team'. However the hours can sometimes be pretty long and the role very demanding, especially when you're new and still trying to make sense of everything.

In all honesty the best part of my apprenticeship programme is by far my 'on the job work' as opposed to my apprenticeship studies. At the start of the programme there was almost no structure at all to the programme, but about 6 months in the workload started to pick up. This has mainly consisted of a series of 'reflective essays' which are designed to show case what you've learnt in your new role. Whilst I can see the necessity of completing these, in sometimes feels like a bit of a 'tick box' exercise and I sometimes wonder how much benefit I am getting from writing these essays vs. just continuing with my day to day job.

My manager has been very supportive of my studies. We have regular catch ups to ensure i have enough time to complete my apprenticeship work. Having said that it is acknowledged that the day to day job takes priority, and occasionally i have to be flexible around which days I take as my study days in order to fit around work. However this does not impact my ability to complete my apprenticeship and I would feel completely comfortable asking my manager for more time if I felt I needed it.

We have catch up calls every six weeks or so to discuss my progress, and they are available via email if I ever have any questions. At the moment I feel comfortable with my progress on the apprenticeship programme and so do not think I get too much value from these catch up calls, however it is very nice to know that if I ever did need support, it would be there.

I think the completely honest answer is that I could perform my role just as well without my qualification, and that the vast majority of my learning has been 'on the job learning'. However I do recognise the value in having a professional qualification on your CV, and it will bring a nice sense of achievement when the programme is complete. It is also a useful way of documenting what I have learnt, and demonstrating my skills to employers.

In general my office is a very friendly environment. There are regular Tuesday night football session that you could get involved in (pre-Covid) in addition to other adhoc social events, such as pub quizzes and base ball in the summer. There has also been a real effort to keep these social events going throughout lockdown; events like zoom bingo and virtual baking competitions have helped to keep people connected. There are also a variety of networks available that provide professional networking opportunities for those who want to get involved.

Yes

The culture here is really lovely; everyone is supportive and understanding but are also keen to help you push yourself and reach your full potential. My team especially have been really good at giving me extra responsibility and helping me develop my soft and technical skills. You will need to have a good work ethic as the job can sometimes be demanding, but it is more than worth it to work in a friendly environment with plenty of career progression opportunities.

Do your research; Natwest have recently updated their website so make sure that at the very least you go and check this out. In the interview you should have some basic knowledge about the bank and its goals etc. As an apprentice you will not be expected to know everything, so attitude and showing a willingness to adapt are key. Demonstrate that you are interested in the role, even if what you say isn't 100% accurate it will show you care enough to have thought about the topic and present your own opinion, which is an invaluable skill int he work place.