Which Company NatWest or Credit Suisse for apprenticeship

have you spoken to previous apprentices at each company about how they find it?

do you know what the job is after the apprenticeship for both and the opportunities it has?

At NatWest the past apprentices really like it there as they are really supportive and helpful but at credit Suisse they don’t have past apprentices as it’s their first time taking on apprentices
I would say they have the same opportunities after working in tech in any area you want.

sounds like a difficult decision! they are both very respectable banks, how long is each? a lot of this will come down to your interview experience + what your manager is like (if you know who that is) + the culture of the bank

Ya it’s really difficult to pick,
NatWest is 4 years since it’s a level 6 degree apprenticeship and credit Suisse is 2 years at level 4
My interview experience was great for both pretty much the same and the managers too
The culture is also the same from what I’ve looked at their website I couldn’t do the interviews in person cuz of corona so no office insights so everything is from what they tell me and what I see on their websites
What would you pick ?is finishing an apprenticeship earlier better?

its better if the job you get at the end of it is the same, you essentially get a 2 year boost to your career. really look at the job you would get after the apprenticeship, if the credit suisse one is the same id be tempted to go with that one

The main problem I’m having is the fact that since one is at degree level would that be looked more upon favourably than the level 4 one?
Or if your experience is from a reputable company, is that more important in tech than your qualifications.

Is there a specific job you're targeting upon completion?

not really, the degree part of the apprenticeship wont matter, once you go into the job after the apprenticeship (ie, a graduate level or above role) your degree wont matter at all since you've already gotten past the barrier of needing X degree for the job. once you search for careers afterwards they will favour experience over everything else

I want to work in AI which both of them offer in some degree after the completion of the apprenticeship

I see. When looking at the NatWest job salaries post-apprenticeship, which ones were you looking at?

The thing I would say is that for that field, there may be a benefit in doing the degree apprenticeship. They're vocationally integrated, so you're still gaining work experience in parallel, and applying it on the job. The salary banding for that type of apprenticeship is a bit higher, although it is worth noting about NatWest that the advert shows the total including the Value account (10% of salary, of which 8% goes to the pension), so make sure you're comparing like for like. I wouldn't focus too much on jobs by after the post-apprenticeship tbh, because 1) it is very likely it will change by that point and 2) you're not stuck with NatWest or Credit Suisse afterwards. While it's obviously easier to stay there and move into a regular job, it's a matter of convenience more than anything.