Financial Crime Apprentice Review

Current rotation - Transaction Monitoring Involves investigating the activity of personal and non-personal accounts (i.e. retail and business accounts) which have been flagged by an alert system. In my role, I would assess significant credits and debits and decide whether an alert can be closed as not suspicious, or if it needs to be referred for further investigation.

I have gained direct Financial Crime experience and have also developed an operational rigour which will be useful in future roles. I have developed my understanding of different typologies used when investigating financial crime. By performing under time constraints, I have further developed my ability to manage my own workload.

I enjoyed the programme as it has given me a new insight into the sector and I have definitely received the support needed. However, my experience has been negatively affected because it failed to meet my expectations. The job description explicitly stated that there would be opportunities to work within the second line of defence, however this was clearly not the case following an internal restructure. While I understand that this may have been out of the company's control, I still feel that this could have been made more transparent to us. The work in itself was initially engaging and we were trained on new alerts, however as a whole it feels repetitive - on any given day you would know exactly what you were doing which does provide some comfort but does not provide an environment for you to learn and push yourself further.

Our induction, training and support has been well organised. Regarding future rotations, this was less clear. Rather than selecting specific rotations we wished to work for, we were asked to fill in a form outlining our current skills as well as the skills we wished to develop. This would then be used to match our skills and desires with a new rotation. While this is a viable method of allocating apprentices, this means that until the last few weeks of our first rotation, we would have no idea what to expect for our second rotation and many apprentices were anxious that they might not even enjoy their next rotation.

I have received a lot of support from my employer. Notably, my apprentice manager has provided a great deal of support and has provided networking opportunities. The HR and Emerging Talent team have equally been supportive in all aspects. BPP have additionally provided a high amount of support throughout the apprenticeship.

Our training provider has provided us with ample support throughout. This is in the form of regular reviews, seminars and emails. We are always encouraged to reach out if we have any questions and they are always more than happy to support us. I have enjoyed working towards my qualifications.

I feel that my qualification has allowed me to develop my understanding of Financial Crime. While a lot of my development has derived from working on the job, the qualifications provided help to complement my learning at Santander. It is also useful to have an academic source of learning and development.

There are extra-curricular activities to get involved in. This includes joining a network such as the Graduate and Apprenticeship Network, or other ones created by the bank. It is understandable that the extra-curricular activities available are limited because of Covid. However, there have been several opportunities to join events over Zoom.

Yes

While my overall experience has not been perfect, I would still recommend working for Santander. I have received a high amount of support in Santander and it is clear that there is some attempt to provide an organised structure for apprentices. However, I would caveat my recommendation by saying that individuals applying for Santander should expect to go through periods of time where their work is quite monotonous. This sentiment is shared by other apprentices.

Understand that the firm are hiring mainly on potential, therefore it is important to demonstrate your passion for learning and more importantly, your passion for the sector and for the brand. Learn more about the bank and understand what makes it different to other banks. Enjoy the application process and be yourself!