HSBC Spring Insight Intern Review

I really enjoyed the programme as I got to meet people from a broad range of divisions and learnt about what goes on inside an investment bank.

Everyone was extremely friendly and we had a dinner at the end where we were treated like friends, and told honest opinions about the firm and its culture.

The HR team were extremely helpful and I felt like everyone was willing to answer questions and show us their area of the business in more detail.

I knew a lot of the basic information but I was still able to develop my skills in the sessions on networking and presenting information. I also enjoyed doing the interactive games and case studies as I believe that will help me in my future.

The programme was well structured so that each day covered a different area of the firm.

I really enjoyed the diverse group of people selected for the programme and it was enjoyable as we got to network with a range of employees in a fun way such as through dinners and bar sessions.

The firm did a lot to educate us on the different divisions in the bank including giving us a handbook and a guide to the programme as well as notebooks and pens. There were also sessions on skills which were very interactive and useful.

The programme was great as a lot of people came to speak to us during the dinners or in between sessions so I could really have an in depth conversation about what it was like to work at the firm.

Everyone was very open and honest about the culture and how it compared to previous places they had worked and I could really sense teamwork by speaking to people there.

The content especially in the second day was very useful as I participated in a real-life trading game which helped me get a feel of what the markets were like.

I was reimbursed travel expenses.

There was a drinks event and a dinner on the last day of the programme.

The networking events were really useful as they included a range of people from all parts of the firm at different points in their career, so you could be speaking to an analyst one second and a Managing director the next. I also enjoyed the dinner as we were sitting with the analysts for a considerable amount of time so we got to know them better as well.

In the networking sessions we would discuss activities outside of banking as well which showed the more human nature of investment banking and how it isn't all just long hours.

It was my first spring week and a really great insight into investment banking and its different divisions. It was well structured and everyone got fast tracked at the end to assessment centre which made it less stressful than other programmes.