Commercial Banking Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement at HSBC. I spent four weeks in my first placement just outside of London in a Commercial Centre working in Mid Market Enterprise firms. My manager and staff members made me feel very welcome. I was given a lot of training and shown how key systems operate. Moreover I attended some client meetings which again provided me with a great insight into HSBC Commercial Banking. My second placement was based in Head Office in London, within the GLCM team and gave me another different experience in commercial banking and payment processing.

I felt very valued by my colleagues in both offices. I was given a full tour and had the chance to chat and meet a lot of different staff members. Networking in the head office was also great fun to learn from senior executives and new aspiring graduates too. I was given responsibility on projects and had to deliver on my work under deadlines. Also we were able to take a lead on charitable challenges and my group led from the front in raising £1200 for our charity.

I was given a line manager who acted as a great contact point in both placements, offering insight and answering any questions I thought of. We had training from graduates in our induction as well as online training over the 8 week programme too. In terms of guidance we had a graduate buddy to help with our aspirations in the future as well as settle into HSBC.

Each day was different and that is what I wanted. I would have ongoing projects and mandatory training. However I would try and have at least one meeting a day either to chat to a graduate or hold a catch up meeting with my line manager and get feedback. There were times where I had free time available and I uses this to plan our group's charity challenge and review my progress made on the internship.

I felt as a new intern I was handed a good level of responsibility. I spoke to my managers and expressed interest in projects and in attending senior meetings to gain as much learning from my two business teams. Moreover my ambition to do as much as possible helped me in taking on more work and leading our charity challenge. Also speaking to other interns I felt we all had the ability to work alongside colleagues who had been working in their roles for many years.

I believe the skills I developed such as communication and organisation are critical to my degree studies but more pivotal my career. During my internship I had to go from meetings, complete training and meet new people all in a very short time space so skills learnt will prove useful for many years to come. Training was both interesting and effective in giving us interns a introduction into our division.

The atmosphere in my first office was very upbeat and everyone was friendly all week. I met a lot of great people who would always go above their role and give up time if you had a problem with anything. I was even invited into the office cricket match which felt me made even more part of the team during my month stint in the team. Whilst in head office the atmosphere was again welcoming - we had more graduates who would help us around and make us feel at ease in the busy office environment.

This year the internship was organised and run by graduates who alongside their day to day jobs were planning, hosting and running events over the 8 weeks we were there. From the induction day to our final day we were given plenty of information and useful tips to make the most of our placement. We had weekly emails and could ask questions if were uncertain about anything.

I felt the company were invested in us, receiving laptops and insightful training from experienced professionals. Whilst, at the end of the process we were given information to take with us wherever we would work for. HSBC really made you feel welcome and despite being a large organisation allowed people to speak up and promote great work on a international scale.

I would love to and have now received an offer to work for HSBC of which I am thrilled with. The people I met were all engaging and spent time in helping you. Whilst this area of banking I am keen to explore along with HSBC's international opportunities. The graduate scheme and the accelerator programme are both great schemes to be involved in and will prepare you well for any career in baking. There are prospects all over the world with HSBC and they are always looking for people to make a difference to the world in line with their values.

Yes we had the opportunity to network amongst students, graduates and senior management on several occasions. I felt very well settled into the intern group making a lot of friends and meeting people throughout the scheme. Some of us interns would schedule in coffees and lunches together to catch up and check in on our work. Whilst after work drinks were an opportunity to unwind and get to know each other even more.

For me I lived at home so saved on rent in London. Although taking the train and tube to work was quite costly although being paid did help cover this cost. If you work in London prices are higher than elsewhere but we felt able to afford most things an intern would need/want. I made my own lunch most days to save money and then could spend money on drinks etc. A pint set me back from £5 to 7 so a lot more than student prices !!!

In canary wharf there are plenty of bars and pubs nearby to socialise after work. Whilst in terms of clubs you are a short tube ride from most popular clubs in the city. I preferred getting a drink after work as it was easier than getting home and ready for a night out and cheaper too! Other cities across the UK will offer similar nightlife places to go. Grads would invite us to drinks and again a chance to meet new people was good fun.

Yes I played in a staff cricket match we sadly lost. I also spent a day fundraising in London for Marie Curie and had time in my placement to sell raffle tickets for our £10 charity challenge. Staff would often invite us to drinks after work and we felt welcome whenever we did attend. They were engaging and helpful in providing us with tips.