HSBC Commercial Banking Internship Review

I took part in the HSBC Commercial Banking Summer Internship which lasted 8 weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed the internship, participating in real-life projects, and the opportunity to network with people who are high-up in the business. The internship programme also organized many events for the interns, giving us a chance to get to know everyone really well and socialise outside of work.

My colleagues were brilliant at taking the time to explain complex things to me, which in turn allowed me to learn quickly. By doing so, I was able to help my colleagues with their work, and I believe they really valued my help.

There is an extensive support system at HSBC. Every intern is assigned to a buddy, who you can call at any time if you have a problem. On top of this, the graduate programme managers were always available by email, and were keen to get to know the interns outside of work as well. My own manager really supported me through my personal development and learning.

My manager set out a timetable for me at the beginning of the programme so that I was doing something every day. As the internship went on and I learnt more, I was able to contribute to tasks more and more which meant I was much busier by the end.

It is difficult to give the interns too much responsibility as there is the potential it could affect a client negatively. However, wherever there was an opportunity to give me responsibility - it happened.

I have learnt to be much more concise in my communication skills, both verbal and written, which is definitely transferable for writing my dissertation. I also feel more confident after the internship and my presentation skills have improved.

I feel as though HSBC fully invested into its interns. There were 3 events throughout the programme - a welcome event, a discovery and CSR day, and a farewell event.