CMB Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement at HSBC, the office I was placed in was really friendly and welcoming, as were the other interns in the city. I was able to get a broad understanding of banking, from visiting different departments and everyone I met was more than happy to spend time discussing their role and career with me.

Colleagues always thanked me for any work I did for them, and in the final few weeks approached us asking for help with work they were struggling to do in a given timeframe. I was never given any pointless time-filling tasks, only work that needed to be done and help someone out.

I was given several points of contact through the internship, a line manager, mentor and graduate buddy, all of whom were available for me to contact on a regular basis. My mentor was my main contact on a day to day basis, who went through work with me and showed me what I was doing in the first few weeks. My grad buddy called me weekly to make sure everything was going well and to answer any questions I had, as well as give me advice on how to get the most out of my placement.

Most days I had plenty of work to fill the 9-5 day. Some days towards the end of the internship there were times when I did not have much to do, and I never stayed later than 5:30 to complete any piece of work. There were always people in the office happy to let me help them out if I had finished work early and was looking for something to do.

Only being in the office for 8 weeks means it was very difficult to be given that much to do individually as I was placed in the relationship management department. However I was able to go to many client meetings and help complete the related admin after. I was also given my own project to complete, which was entirely my own work.

I have a much greater understanding of both banking and business after my time here. I have developed some personal skills from meeting clients from all different backgrounds and businesses, changing your approach to match the people in the meeting, and how to make efficient notes in a meeting whilst also remaining engaged and involved in the discussion.

Everyone was really friendly and supportive in the office. People brought in cake for birthdays and frequently went out for lunch together. Everyone was more than just work colleagues, which was a great atmosphere to be welcomed into. It was a fairly relaxed office, with many people working from home several days a week, showing the flexibility of the roles.

The internship had introduction days before placements began where we were taken through the basics of many different departments of the bank, and were a great chance to meet interns placed all over the country. Each intern had a line manager and a graduate buddy, so had plenty of points of contact throughout the 8 week scheme. There were also group projects give out to provide work in a different area, and contact with different interns and members of the bank.

HSBC are very keen on getting new graduates up to the top levels in the bank, and put on intern events to allow you to network and contact people who would may not be possible to get in contact with otherwise. They have many e-learning programs to do which are a bit tedious, but some of them are helpful.

Many interns are offered the grad scheme, and throughout the internship they encourage you to develop your networks to enable you to have contacts later on in the bank. During the intern development days we had talks from many people high up in the bank telling us how they got there and advice they would give us in reaching their level.

Many interns placed in Birmingham so a great social group was set up. There was the chance to go for lunch together, and then dinner or after work drinks most weeks. On occasion there were cinema trips and other activities. I have definitely made friends in these 8 weeks that I will keep in touch with, and hopefully end work with again on the grad scheme.

I lived at home and commuted in to the office everyday. Many interns rented in Birmingham and were able to get accommodation easily for a good price and location. There were many different places to go in Birmingham, so something for everyone's price range.

Worked in Birmingham, so nightlife was varied. Plenty of pubs for after work drinks, and lots of interns based in the city, so great to socialise with. Internship also organised evening events, including a black tie dinner at the intern events, which was a great opportunity to meet people and chat out of a work environment.

HSBC has a CSR scheme, where they encourage people to take place in charity days. I did 2 of these days, one with my office and one with other interns, which was a great chance to see people out of the office. They were both fun days and both giving something back to charities.