Feeling Valued as an Intern at KBC

Two summers ago, I was part of the first group of interns with Enactus in KBC Bank. While my friends were travelling around Europe inter-railing and J1’ing across America, I decided to apply for the KBC Enactus Summer Internship. I didn’t know much about KBC at the time and this certainly changed over my three months working in the business, as I became immersed in the day-to-day workings of a busy division within the company. After successfully completing what I would describe as a Dragons Den style interview process in April 2017, I was excited to see what the summer would entail!/

During my internship, I was part of the Retail Products team in the Current Account, Savings and Investment Division, where I was given great autonomy and valuable experience during my 14 weeks in the business. I was involved in new product initiatives with colleagues from all divisions of the bank. The opportunity I enjoyed working on the most was the development and launch of a completely new product in the bank, a ‘teen bank account’. I loved how KBC valued my input and involvement, I felt like an integral member of the team.

Before I joined the bank, I was afraid of the common stereotype of an intern going on coffee runs and doing mundane tasks with a photocopier, however, I felt KBC really respected my opinions and provided me with opportunities to grow and develop my skills. This helped me when returning to university as the real ‘hands-on’ insight I gained in key aspects of the corporate world was invaluable when studying.

In September 2018 I was lucky enough to come back to KBC and join the e-channels and marketing team! With absolutely no experience in all things digital I was warmly welcomed into the team. From everything on the sales side to the user experience I got to work on numerous projects and releases. Coming back to KBC, I was greeted with open arms and offered many opportunities within the bank. The Enactus KBC summer internship created a stepping stone into my career and thanks to the support and help from the staff I was able to gain even more experience across three areas of the bank.

I’m writing this blog on my last day in KBC and I can honestly say as an intern I was certainly made feel valued and welcomed. I am leaving with amazing experience and skills that I will bring into my course work and into my professional career. Who knows I could be back walking through the doors of KBC Sandwith Street again…