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Rural Bank

4.7
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Rural Bank Graduate Programs & Internships

  • Banking & Financial Services

What it does: Provides specialist banking needs to farmers

Staff stats: Less than 1000

The good bits: Working for an ethical bank

The not so good bits: Limited scope to earn a six-figure salary

Hiring grads with degrees in: Engineering, Maths, IT & Computer Sciences; Finance, Accounting, Economics & Business Administration; Sciences 

The Rural Bank story

What was then known as Elders Rural Bank launched in 2000. It was a partnership between Bendigo Bank and (agribusiness company) Elders designed to deliver specialist banking services to rural and regional communities. Communities underserved or outright ignored by larger banks.

Rural Bank is the agri specialist arm of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank group. Rural Bank’s products and services are now available via a network of banking partners and agribusiness lending specialists at 400 locations throughout Australia.

Farmers have specific needs and require specialised products. Rural Bank focuses on providing products – such as everyday banking, savings, investments, retirement accounts and loans – that “help farmers take control of their money, stay on top of challenges and grab opportunities”. Rural Bank remains the only Australian-owned specialised agricultural bank.

Bendigo Bank and Adelaide Bank merged in 2007. The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group is headquartered in Bendigo. In 2017, it had revenue of $1.6 billion. Recently, Rural Bank acquired nearly 100 Elders staff to join their team.

The culture

As part of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group, Rural Bank embraces diversity and inclusion. In practice, this means staff can expect an “an inclusive and welcoming workplace”. One where “people are treated with respect, feel valued and can achieve success while maintaining an appropriate work-life balance.” The bank aspires to hire the best people from “the broadest pool of candidates available” and assemble a diverse workforce that can “meet the needs of our diverse customer base”.  

Social contribution

Rural Bank is 100 per cent Australian-owned and operated. The money deposited in Rural Bank accounts is invested in rural Australia. Rural Bank supports country Australians through a nationwide community-involvement program, as well as donations to good causes. The bank has matched contributions staff have made to organisations such as Cancer Council SA, Hutt St Centre, Meals on Wheels, Mount Gambier’s Stand like Stone Foundation and SIDS and Kids.

To help forge a bright future for Australian agriculture, Rural Bank partners with industry groups including Agribusiness Australia, Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders, Birchip Cropping Group, The National Centre for Farmer Health, WA Farmers and Young Dairy Network Australia.   

The recruitment process

As would be expected, Rural Bank seeks to recruit employees who are passionate about Australian agriculture. It looks for grads who are enthusiastic self-starters and skilled relationship-builders. Individuals who are eager to learn and willing to challenge the status quo (and themselves). Rural Bank typically recruits grads with backgrounds in accounting, agricultural science, business, engineering, economics, finance, IT or maths.

The recruitment process for Rural Bank’s 18-month Graduate program begins with an online application. You can expect to undertake psychometric testing, complete a video interview, attend an assessment centre then do face-to-face interviews.  

Rural Bank Graduate program is personalised. The rotations you undertake will be determined by your academic qualifications and career objectives. Graduates are stationed in locations across rural Australia and work in areas such as: agribusiness sales; credit and lending; finance; HR; marketing and finance.

Grads are given “exciting and challenging experiences” and “unique project opportunities”. Their skill sets are expanded through on-the-job coaching, mentoring and formal learning in classroom-style environments.

Remuneration

Rural Bank provides competitive remuneration. As you’ll be based in regional Australia, you won’t have the housing costs incurred by living in major financial centres. You’ll receive relocation assistance if required to relocate for the program. Plus, if you want a loan to buy a home (or farm), you’ll get a staff discount on banking products.   

Rural Bank has embraced flexible working practices. Once you’ve completed the grad program, you should have the option flexible working arrangements, remote working, job sharing and variable start and finish times. Leave options include parental leave, study leaves, ‘career leave’ and the opportunity to purchase extra annual leave. You may also have access to a share scheme and salary packaging.      

Career prospects

Rural Bank is committed to seeing our people thrive. Given the size of the bank, grads have the opportunity to be mentored by senior staff, including the Managing Director.

While you may not wish to spend your entire working life at Rural Bank, especially if you dream of working in New York or London, it’s a good place to start your career. If you do want to hang around, there’s less competition for top jobs (compared to larger financial institutions) and a culture of promoting from within

The vibe of the place

Rural Bank workplaces are down-to-earth, friendly and egalitarian. If you’re seeking a career in banking, interested in agribusiness and keen on living a community-focused and likely a country lifestyle, this could be the employer for you.      


From the Employer:

Who is Rural Bank?

Rural Bank believes the future for agriculture is bright. We are committed to providing exceptional financial services, knowledge and leadership for Australian farmers to grow, and you can be part of it. We are the only Australian owned specialised agricultural bank and we are very proud of that. We are a business that is farmer-focused and future-driven, meaning we are committed to innovation and providing products and services that meet our customer’s needs now and in the future. Rural Bank is proudly part of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank group, offering a specialist value proposition to Australian Farmers.

Why choose Rural Bank for your graduate program experience?

We are committed to seeing our people thrive. Development is something that is in our DNA, you will have opportunities to interact with our Executive team, industry partners and our customers – each experience is designed to allow you to learn and develop in to the best version of you. We provide a personalised graduate program, tailored to suit you and your goals, whilst ensuring you enjoy a rounded experience across all areas of our bank. That means you could be working across areas such as Finance, Marketing, HR, Credit and Lending, Agribusiness sales and more. In addition, you will have the opportunity to travel across Australia working with teams from the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland to Esperance in Western Australia. In 2021 we are looking to bring on 6 new graduates in total across WA, SA, VIC, NSW & QLD.

What does it take to be successful at Rural Bank?

You will be passionate about Australian agriculture. You will be committed to learning new things, asking questions and challenging the status quo. You will have loads of enthusiasm, be a self-starter and enjoy building relationships. You will also be prepared to challenge yourself through new experiences. We are an organisation that is dedicated to creating a diverse workforce, embracing the differences we all bring to our communities.

What’s in it for you? What development and career opportunities are available?

If you’re looking for a program where you can be yourself, be open to exciting and challenging experiences then this is the program for you. Your skills will be developed and refined through both on the job coaching and mentoring as well as in classroom-style learning environments. The skies the limit, we will actively help you reach your potential through career pathways, skill development and providing you with unique project opportunities. You will form part of an established and constantly evolving program with a supportive graduate community.

 

Graduate Reviews

Overall Score
4.7
Overall score based on 5 reviews
They Score Best in…
9.6
Management
9.4
Culture
9.4
Office Work Environment
9.3
Corporate Social Responsibility
9.6
Management
9.4
Culture
9.4
Office Work Environment
9.3
Corporate Social Responsibility
What Graduates Say About Them
  • Culture and Opportunity.
  • The people that I work with are fantastic, and the program I am in allows me to see how the whole business works.
  • Agriculturally experienced colleagues that have similar interests and are also from farms and love agriculture as much as I do.
  • The best thing about Rural Bank is the fun, challenging, and supportive environment which definitely fast tracks personal development.
  • Extremely engaging work environment. Every day is a little bit different from the last. You never stop learning & developing as a person. Constantly Up skilling. I never fail to be engaged by the huge variety that is the Agribusiness sector. The ability to work with colleagues locally, whilst also on a state & national level. The opportunity to attend Conferences and undertake professional development opportunities either supported by or run by the bank itself. Flexibility with regards to work / life balance. Opportunity and encouragement to work in an area I am passionate about. Outstanding team members around me who work in collaboration together. The ability to travel with work to different areas of Australia.
  • Not sure about where I might get sent to throughout my rotations.
  • Not getting out on farm as much as I would like to in my sales rotation.
  • A lot of online training requirements up front.

Jobs & Opportunities

Locations With Jobs & Opportunities
  • NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA
Hiring candidates with qualifications in
B
Business & Management
C
Creative Arts
E
Engineering & Mathematics
H
Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences
I
IT & Computer Science
L
Law, Legal Studies & Justice
M
Medical & Health Sciences
P
Property & Built Environment
S
Sciences
T
Teaching & Education

Graduate Success Stories


  • Graduate stories
One of the best parts of the job is not always being stuck in the office every day and going out to visit clients on-farm. It’s a great way to see the country, especially in such a beautiful part of Australia like the Southern Grampians.

James Yucel

  • Graduate stories
One of the best parts of the job is not always being stuck in the office every day and going out to visit clients on-farm. It’s a great way to see the country, especially in such a beautiful part of Australia like the Southern Grampians.

James Yucel

  • Graduate stories
I really love the parts of my job where I can interact with customers through talking about their farms and businesses, as I love hearing other people’s ideas and getting to know what does and doesn’t work in the farming and business side of things.

Annabelle Plunkett

  • Graduate stories
I really love the parts of my job where I can interact with customers through talking about their farms and businesses, as I love hearing other people’s ideas and getting to know what does and doesn’t work in the farming and business side of things.

Annabelle Plunkett

  • Graduate stories
One of the best parts of the job is not always being stuck in the office every day and going out to visit clients on-farm. It’s a great way to see the country, especially in such a beautiful part of Australia like the Southern Grampians.

James Yucel

  • Graduate stories
One of the best parts of the job is not always being stuck in the office every day and going out to visit clients on-farm. It’s a great way to see the country, especially in such a beautiful part of Australia like the Southern Grampians.

James Yucel

  • Graduate stories
I really love the parts of my job where I can interact with customers through talking about their farms and businesses, as I love hearing other people’s ideas and getting to know what does and doesn’t work in the farming and business side of things.

Annabelle Plunkett

  • Graduate stories
I really love the parts of my job where I can interact with customers through talking about their farms and businesses, as I love hearing other people’s ideas and getting to know what does and doesn’t work in the farming and business side of things.

Annabelle Plunkett

A Day In The Life Of


  • Day in the life

Liz O'Malley

Watch Liz walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank
  • Day in the life

Liz O'Malley

Watch Liz walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank
  • Day in the life

Annabelle Plunkett

Watch Annabelle walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank
  • Day in the life

Annabelle Plunkett

Watch Annabelle walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank
  • Day in the life

Liz O'Malley

Watch Liz walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank
  • Day in the life

Liz O'Malley

Watch Liz walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank
  • Day in the life

Annabelle Plunkett

Watch Annabelle walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank
  • Day in the life

Annabelle Plunkett

Watch Annabelle walk us through his typical day as Ag Achiever Graduate at Rural Bank

Videos


Rural Bank Ag Achievers Graduate program

Want to be part of an organisation committed to innovation and the future of agriculture in Australia? Check out what it’s like joining Rural Bank’s Ag Achievers graduate program. 

Rural Bank Ag Achievers Graduate program

Want to be part of an organisation committed to innovation and the future of agriculture in Australia? Check out what it’s like joining Rural Bank’s Ag Achievers graduate program.