Banking giant Citi is running a new annual student mentorship programme in Singapore, aimed at helping undergrads understand what its like working in a bank.

Undergraduates from three local universities - NUS, NTU and SMU - will have the opportunity to get advice from their mentors who are staff of Citi Singapore.

Unlike traditional attachments and internships, the mentors will offer career advice over meals, phone conversations and even text messaging from January to May.

"The mentors are more of a big brother or sister to the mentees," said human resource director Ms Evangeline Chua.

Out of 400 applications, 140 students across different faculties were shortlisted for the inaugural programme.

Having indicated their area of interest during the application process, they were subsequently paired with a mentor in that field.

All 123 mentors volunteered their time and range from assistant vice presidents to managing directors.

The five-month programme allows the undergraduates to better understand what it is like to work in a bank and build their network from a young age.