Commercial Banking Intern Review

The commercial banking internship at HSBC was exciting, inclusive and varied. The placement itself was interesting, with lots of opportunity to make a real impact on the team. This was supported by a centralised intern project to keep in touch with fellow interns. I have been exposed to a huge amount of areas of the bank, as well as many types of businesses.

Employees at HSBC always have time for interns, whether it's a quick chat about their role in the bank, advice on projects and tasks or feedback on progress. Everyone I've met at the bank has been amazing and a pleasure to work with. I've built up a network of contacts and friends that I'll keep in touch with.

Part of learning on the job is learning by just having a go at things, then reviewing with your manager. This was employed by my line manager and was very effective for me. Everyone is very happy to give feedback on your work at HSBC. As an intern, you also get access to HSBC University, which has an endless amount of support for your learning.

My team kept me busy with a couple of large projects, which had real importance for the performance of the team. This was complemented with smaller tasks, mandatory learning and a centralised internship project. There is always something to do whilst on the internship. Even if you find you've run out of things to do, you can quickly speak to someone who will point you in the direction of some work!

The biggest responsibility given is representing HSBC, whether it be on client meetings, charity events, intern events or day to day working life. It's a great feeling to talk to clients under the brand of HSBC and it really makes you feel part of the bank. During my time, I have delivered strategy presentations, run workshops for charity, completed important pieces of work and more.

I have learned to complete work in a shorter time period. This should help me in my degree studies by giving me more time for extra curricular things. I am also more aware of many industries, how businesses work and how a bank works, the latter clearly being useful for the future!

The great people at HSBC made my office a great place to work. Due to the nature of the job, many employees worked from home / on the road for a big chunk of each week. This meant the office could be quiet. However, every team is different and this may not be the case for all placements.

Once you get past the initial on-boarding process, the internship is extremely well organised, with regular catch ups with all interns at events, projects put in place before you arrive at your placement and a dedicated email for queries about the internship. The great organisation has enabled me to work to my full potential.

My line manager, and many other members of the team, really took time out of their busy schedules to help me develop, with the mentality that I come back to work for HSBC. HSBC are willing to pay for your travel to different locations to learn from other people, other interns and development events.

The graduate scheme is very attractive with multiple placements during the program. During the internship, I've been able to speak to multiple grads. They all love their jobs and make it very appealing to me. There are so many areas of the bank that it would be impossible to run out of opportunities.

At the multiple events organised by the internship team, there were multiple opportunities to socialise with interns. This included pre-organised events as well as free time to find things to do ourselves. I also attended multiple social events with my colleagues, all of them enjoying a healthy work and life balance.

I worked in the expensive part of Manchester, meaning drinks in the area can be expensive. That being said, there are many cheaper parts to live and socialise in in Manchester. The internship team arrange lots of free entertainment over the whole program, meaning the cost of socialising never feels high.

The nightlife in Manchester is some of the best in the UK, with exciting bars, clubs, restaurants and more. I was lucky enough to experience some of this with my colleagues.

I got involved with a handful of activities outside of work, which were all thoroughly enjoyable. These involved taking clients to sporting events and taking part in charity events. There was also a charity day built into the internship. As a precaution, the many events I took part in were arranged by my colleagues on my team and not all placements will necessarily be the same.