Summer Analyst Review

I very much enjoyed my placement, because both the atmosphere was very welcoming and the skills I learned will be very useful. Prior to the internship I had learned a lot of theory for data analysis but had done very little application. This was fundamentally different during the ten weeks at HSBc this summer in London.

The team made me feel extremely valued. I got to help with day-to-day work but also was asked to update a client facing document, which made me feel very included. Furthermore, the most involved I felt was when the Graduate student on my desk was on holiday and I got to complete his work towards the publication.

Both the graduate student on my team, Ruhell and my line manager answered all the questions that I had and also made it very clear that asking questions was not only ok but wanted. This made for a very good learning environment. This openness was not just the case for my team but the Research department in general

The amount of work I had varied somewhat. There were periods in which I had lots of different demanding jobs. However, there wer almost equally as many times where I had very little work. Having said that, this was not really an issue. It seemed like it was just the style the team worked in, so anything else would have not prepared me for the job.

I felt that I was given a lot of responsibility for an intern with both the publications and the client facing document I prepared. However, this was not a negative amount of pressure. I still felt comfortable with what I was doing. Therefore, it was a very good and healthy learning environment.

All the skills I learned will come in very handy for both my degree and my job. Knowing how to analyze data with various programs is very useful for the econometrics and quantitative economic analysis modules I will be studying the coming term at university. This has probably been the best part of the internship

I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the department because it was very much influenced by intellectual curiosity. Everybody was universally interested and open to have a chat. Especially the Thematics team were open for any questions and gave broad insights into their fascinating work. This was very useful and made for a good atmosphere.

The events were well distributed. There was never a time where they took up too much time. Similarly the team was well prepared for my time at the desk and were clear about which work was going to be given to me. Overall, I'd say that the organization's very well done for such a big group of interns in such a complex organization.

Having me for ten weeks was a very big investment. We got extensive training in presentation skills as well as technical financial ability. This combined with the learning on the desk made for a very useful experience. We certainly felt valued and that an investment was made into us. Especially Seth, the presentation and soft skills coach was very good.

The atmosphere amongst the interns was, just like in the entire division, very cohesive and friendly. The four of us fit together very well. This dynamic made the internship overall easier and more enjoyable. Especially when one of us had lots of work the other would offer to help out and follow through on their offers.

The cost of living was quite high, certainly a lot more than at university. However, the salary paid for the internship this summer in London was enough to pay for a decent lifestyle. This is no given if you are based in an expensive city like London. I very much relished the opportunity to experience culture and sport in London this summer.