RBWM Intern Review

HSBC were incredibly welcoming. I was lucky enough to be placed into a fantastic team who took a great deal of interest in myself. The work was stimulating however could have been a bit more intellectually stimulating. Someone people were placed in teams in which they weren't interested in, for example HR. However they fortunately listened to my request to be placed within a department that interested me. This process can be considered a lottery.

Everyone in my team got on really well. HSBC are big believers in feedback, this greatly aided my progression and understanding. Socials were frequent and the atmosphere between interns wasn't competitive or tense. My line manager was always very supportive and was always available. There is a grad coach scheme in which proved to be very useful. I was always asked for my opinion, they always valued my insight.

My line manager was always very supportive and was always available. There is a grad coach scheme in which proved to be very useful, we could ask for advice or feedback. All the team were always keen to express how they were willing to help throughout the internship, not just on day one.

How busy you are depends on which department you worked in. My department we always had work, there was never a moment in which we didn't have work which was fantastic. However, at the beginning of the internship we were asked to do a main project and focus on this, yet we were always given many side projects, therefore it was hard to track what to focus on.

We were given a reasonable amount of responsibility. I frequently had to write papers which were then reviewed by fairly senior members of the company as well as several committees. However, other than this no responsibility was given. Previously interns used to work in branches in which they had responsibility to look after clients, however this is no longer the case.

The internship I did had a fairly strong link with my course (Business Management) however I wouldn't go to the extent that it will help me with my studies. It provided me with great experience as to how a bans head office operates however using what I learnt in my studies will prove difficult.

Great atmosphere in the office. A fantastic blend between fellow interns and graduates as well as being close to senior members of the business. Organising coffee meetings with people working in interesting areas was easy and always productive. Everybody was always very keen to assist. The building in Birmingham is state of the art and great to work in.

The welcome days at the beginning and the celebration event as the end were perfectly organised and executed. However throughout the internship we had to balance side projects given to every intern as well as the work we were given by the team we worked in. These side projects proved to be not very stimulating, I would have perhaps preferred to be more immersed in what my team was doing, and focus on actually learning what working in a bank is like.

The firm is passionate about bringing new talent. They invest very heavily in interns which is fantastic to see. It is rare that banks invest this much into young people. We felt truly valued in which is a rare sentiment amongst other European banks. Development of new talent is high on their priority list.

The fact that department allocation is a lottery is a massive disappointment for me. If I could work here knowing I would be working in something that interests me I would score far higher. I do not want to work in digital, HR or operations when I apply for a banking internship... Other than this than are incredibly well organised and invest heavily in young talent.

Socials were fairly frequent. They heavily encourage socials which don't involve alcohol to encourage those who do not drink. Social event s were mainly limited to my team of interns. However, all the interns got on really well and overall had a great time and went out a lot. Team socials within departments were also quite frequent.

I commuted from home as I also live in the midlands. Birmingham is very cheap, you can find pints at a very reasonable price. I understand that accommodation in Birmingham is also far cheaper than London. Travel to and from London is very cheap and fast. Lunch was always cheap.

I lived at home, therefore I wasn't exposed to the light life in Birmingham.

There is a heavily subsidised gym in the building which hosts many varying sessions. A volunteering day is required by all interns in the local community. We had social secs that organised one or two events. However, other than this there wasn't a crazy amount available., yet this is understandable, it is an internship in banking we aren't here for this !