Summer Analyst - RBWM Insurance Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship. I felt as though it did challenge me, which was obviously what I wanted from this. However, this challenge was juxtaposed with the fact we were given a great deal of assistance and care which meant I could really develop my understanding, but also develop as a person.

I felt that I was very much valued by the people who had an invested interest in me i.e. line manager and grad coach. I think I built a meaningful relationship with them and they genuinely cared about what I was doing and what I had to say. I felt as though the wider team I was working with, could have placed a larger interest however.

I feel as though I was extremely supported in this sense. My supervisors were brilliant in making sure I was supported and were always willing to offer assistance. They found a great balance in giving us this support whilst not mothering us, meaning I was able to work effectively whenever they weren't there.

I felt as though I found a good balance in terms of how much I was working. I had main projects to get on with, and then filtered additional work around this. I feel like I've improved my time management greatly, and this is mainly down to the work I was set.

I think I had a reasonable amount of responsibility during the placement. I was given some important projects, which I worked hard on. I guess it would have been nice if these projects were viewed by the whole team as opposed to just a couple of individuals.

I think that there are some skills I have learnt that I will definitely use in the future. I think, for one, my confidence has improved considerably. in terms of presenting, and meeting new people, I approach it in a lot more of a positive light now. Also, I think some of the writing skills I have learnt, in terms of being able to pick out key points and write this in a concise way should help me in my last year of university. On top of this, I feel as though the networking skills I have developed will be incredibly beneficial for my future career.

I think everybody was incredibly friendly and welcoming. However, often people kept themselves to themselves. I suppose more socials, or even group meetings could've been beneficial in helping the vibe in the office.

I think in general it was set up really well. I often enjoyed the speaker and development days, even though I think for some of the speaker series the speakers could have come to speak being a little more prepared. Overall, however, the set up really helped us flourish.

I think HSBC invested well in increasing some of our softer skills, e.g. resilience. However, I guess they may have put too much focus on this and could've offered us the opportunity to really learn some life lessons such as practice interviews etc.

I think HSBC are a company I definitely would want to work with in the future. you can really tell they care and develop heavily in their workers and despite being such a large company they really try to improve you as people.

I think the social scene between interns was very good. we often went out, and I like to think I have made some good friends during my time. However, my team in the office I guess could have been a little bit more sociable.

I luckily lived at home so rent was non existent. However, being in Canary Wharf, the cost of socialising and lunch was obviously very expensive. This is no fault of HSBC however

The nightlife in Canary Wharf itself wasn't brilliant. We went to a few events around Canary Wharf, but usually for a few beers itself. The cost was the main reason we didn't stay there for too long.

There were a few opportunities but not a great deal. The charity group was a great way to do some stuff outside of the company. However, I tried applying for COE, and my assistance wasn't needed.