Spring Intern Review

I quite enjoyed the Insights Programme, it was informative and gave me some basic financial knowledge which I did not have before. The only thing is that it starts at 8:30 which means you have to wake up early. Plus the programme is intense, very little breaks, so by the end of the day I was so tired that I basically could not do anything else, just have dinner and go to sleep.

I would say that quite a lot, but it is not you individually who is valued, it is the group of spring interns in general. All the HR and invited speakers were very friendly to everybody, wanted to attract interns to stay with the company. Also, I liked the fact that speakers encourage students to express their opinions even if they are not necessarily right, it is more about why you come to certain conclusion, your thinking process that matters.

There were always several ladies which answered our questions, plus we had opportunities to ask invited speakers. During a trading game there were some junior employees who very willingly explained to us how the market works and what happens after particular news are announced. During other team games there was less advice available, so our teams had to work pretty much on our own.

Honestly speaking, this year I am taking courses which do not involve finance, but I suppose that some knowledge of financial products that I received during the Insights programme might help me in my 2nd and 3rd finance courses, should I choose them. Skills such as ability to deal with a lot of new people would be helpful in almost any situation, not only at university.

Very well structured, the order of presentations was logical. However the programme was intense and at the end of each day I was very tired. I think giving interns a little bit more time for breaks would help. Other than this, everything else was perfect: I always knew where to go and what to do, the timetable printed in the booklets we received during the first day was definitely helpful.

Very friendly yet quite formal, all the interns very extremely polite to each other. Most of us were shy at the beginning but later, after the first day, we get to know each other better. All speakers very enthusiastic about their roles, open for questions and willing to give tips and talk about their experiences.

After the Insights programme I had a much clearer idea of what the bank looks from inside. Spring Insights is definitely something useful to do before fully committing to an industry or specific role. Some people understood that the role they initially applied for is not quite what they expected. I would say try to get a Spring weeks in the division you want to work so that you can see what it is like, just to avoid disappointment in the future.

There was a whole presentation on the company's culture and identity. Apparently it is something important for the company and they explicitly want to educate you about it. Judging the company's culture from a selection of people you meet is probably a more difficult task because each employee's character is unique and plus it is influenced by the nature of his/her job, which are different.

Actually, it made me more hesitant about my future career options, because the Programme involved the coverage of almost all important divisions of the bank (there are more than I thought). After these presentations I see that there are more career options which might suit me than I though initially. So, I would say this Programme was pretty valuable.

There was one social event in a bar, it was not very late but everybody was super tired after the first day, so we just chatted, had a couple of drinks and played table tennis. Most people left in 2 hours. Because it was on the first day it was a good opportunity to meet people and exchange contact details (Facebook), chat more informally, etc. Overall, it was good.

Yes, I would. Even if he/she is just interested in banking, not the company specifically, it is useful to learn a little bit more about different divisions and, probably the most important aspect, to see the bank's employees closer: they are absolutely normal people, they also were first year students one day and did not know what to do with their lives, they also can make mistakes, plus they are much friendlier than I thought. Moreover, seeing their daily routine will help you to understand whether it is a life for you.