Internship Review

It was a very challenging internship but I learned a lot. However, I did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. However, this is due to personal reasons and not because of the Spring Week itself. I just found out that investment banking is not the right career for me.

I felt valued and supported during my entire time at HSBC. There was always someone I could contact whenever I felt lost which was crucial as this happened more often than I anticipated. Nonetheless, through chatting with employees I learned how everyone is willing to help if you need to.

There was a lot of guidance. For instance, every intern gets a buddy who are typically an Analyst or Advisor. They are there for you during your entire time and HSBC and to help you find your way in the firm or help you to answer any questions that you might have.

I do not study a finance related course so the information that I have acquired will be less relevant for my degree. However, I learned a lot about the industry and has broaden my scope of a career at HSBC. But, I have learned certain skills in preparing projects at my time there which will be certainly beneficial in my degree.

The Spring Programme was very well structured and planned out. All activities were scheduled and left little breaks. I would recommend a few more breaks to get your mind right. On the bright side, you never felt bored and was always kept busy. This ensured to get the most out of internship.

The atmosphere was really amazing and exactly what I expected from such a world class institution at HSBC. Everyone is willing to work hard, go the extra mile and even over hours if that is necessary to succeed. I slept little but I did not care as I want to prove myself as well. All the interns were like-minded which all pushed us to our limits.

The company has invested many resources in me and I can imagine that this was not very cheap. We got presentations about career opportunities, activities were designed to get a feel for the department you applied to, senior managers took their time to get to know you and so on. Hence, the company invested a lot and I am thankful for this opportunity.

To a great extent. The presentations were really helpful to show the career possibilities and the group tasks involved real life tasks that showcased the daily life of the employees. I definitely want to work HSBC in the future and it showed my finally what this career path will be right for me.

Extremely helpful. In talking with employees, being in the office/going through the different divisions and listening to the presentations will provide you with a great understanding of the company’s culture and what it is like to have a full-time position there. The short time at the company is definitely enough to see if you would like to work there.

I would recommend this internship to all my friends who are crazy after a career in finance. If not, I doubt that you will have a great time there. Most of the time, I was waiting for the internship to end but realising that finance is nothing for is an invaluable experience in itself.