RBWM Penultimate Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. I was in the RBWM penultimate summer intern scheme. Firstly, HSBC ask you where you have accommodation and arrange location placements around what is convenient for you. This was fantastic. I was lucky enough to be placed in branch in Edinburgh and then in a specialist role in Canary Wharf. The people I have met, especially on my London placement have been extremely helpful in building my career. The atmosphere is fantastic in London and would encourage it.

Not one person undervalued me. I approached a lot of senior people and they were more than happy to have a chat with me. The culture at HSBC is very open no matter who you are. I got on very will with my managers and they go above and beyond their day job to help you and introduce to relevant people. I was given work to do that will now be implemented in branches across the UK. They don't see you as an intern but as an employee (if that makes sense).

If ever I needed any help my managers were an email away. My manager in London was more busy than Edinburgh however, it was just a matter of flagging them down when you see them. Managers will forget things you ask from time to time, so its important to just remind them and let them know. Personally my managers set me up with some high profile meetings in both Edinburgh and London and really made me feel a part of the team.

The workload really depends on where you are based and how much your manager assigns. In branch my workload was not very intense and there were significant periods of idleness. However, the core premise is that you have to find your own work. Managers often delegate a 'project' to get you going in each of your placements however others expect you to learn about the business and people first and then find your work. It is worth mentioning I was more busy in head office than in branch.

This is tricky because as much as my managers and colleagues did want to, there is a fair bit you are legally not allowed to be involved in (especially in branch). If you work in a busy branch (i.e central london) you will be given much more responsibility. Furthermore, each intern is placed in a completely different specialist role within RBWM after their branch placement, so once again - depends on the role. However the general consensus is because it is summer, the office is slightly more quiet .

I certainly improved my organisational skills. This internship requires you to be very meticulous about planning your day and organising yourself. I also feel a lot more confident in presenting myself as I got the chance to interact with senior stakeholders, this definitely was a confidence boost. Furthermore, colleagues and managers will always provide feedback on how you are doing and can suggest what skills to improve on. However, remember it is a 'dont ask dont get' policy. So always ask!! The training I have gathered will definitely apply to my future career because I've understood corporate culture a lot better than I thought I had.

Edinburgh (branch) = Generally very positive. Often the branch could get quite busy so it did get quite manic but that never stopped anyone from enjoying their work. Every single person was extremely friendly and the atmosphere was wonderful. London (HQ) = Similar as above. I would argue it is slightly more quiet because it is an office space and not a branch. Nevertheless the benefit is that anyone and everyone is simply a few desks away from you. Everyone was extremely friendly and happy to be approached provided they're not in a meeting.

The internship was pretty well organised. Every week we had web seminars for all the interns where a guest speaker would talk about a certain part of the business. Often the guest speakers would be those working in the same business function as you however we got a few sessions with people doing things in other aspects. Furthermore there was loads of charity and volunteering days which were organised smoothly.

HSBC spend a lot of time in building up your personal brand. I find this extremely useful. A lot went into how to present yourself to people and also networking skills. What was especially nice was that they were aware some people may not stick with HSBC however were still ready to build our personal brands so that we as individuals could build a successful career, wherever we may be.

The prospects are pretty appealing. The work/life balance ratio at HSBC is extremely good and I would argue one of the best compared to any other bank.

Depending on where you are placed there can or can't be. If you are in London there will be as a lot of interns select London. However, there are meet ups with the whole intern cohort at the beginning, middle and end of the internship which really makes you build up friends and network links throughout the internship.

As I was staying in my own accommodation in London and Edinburgh, I was not paying rent. But London is significantly more expensive for travel, food and drinks.

Did not go out in either places, but I know both my locations have an extremely busy night life and very social events.

I got involved in the HSBC football club which was brilliant as well as go to meetings at Facebook HQ and visit printers. There are tonnes of opportunities however, I cannot stress enough how important it is to simply ask.