HSBC penultimate year internship - commercial Review

by HSBC

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.3/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    4.6
  • The Culture
    3.9

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I had a really good time on my internship. I learnt so many new things and got to experiences so many aspects of HSBC. all the staff i met were kind, friendly, welcoming and informative and i would go back in a heartbeat!

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • i felt extremely slued by my colleagues. i felt that they were extremely appreciative and pleased with the work that i completed for them. they made such an effort to make me feel welcome and included within the team and were always happy to help me and answer any questions that i had.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • MY supervisor and management were very supportive and guiding. sen when my line manager went on holiday she arranged for me to report to someone else. they were very happy to set me tasks and goals and review my progress regularly. if i had any problems i feel that i would have been able to talk to them. when i needed to take time off because i was ill they were very understanding. they also shared a lot of advice with me and all took the time to individually sit down with me.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • work flow varied from day to day but i understand that this is one of the elements of an internship as it is not possible for colleagues to sit and take time out with me every day. but i feel like everyone made the upmost effort to try and give me things to do or even just explain to me what they were doing on a daily basis.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • i think i was given as much responsibility as i expected. not a great deal but i felt like a member of staff and was not treated like a baby. i would not say i was necessarily pushed out of my comfort zone in terms of responsibility but this is not a problem. i didn't feel like an intern i just felt like a member of staff and that was really nice to feel that way.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • i developed a great deal of confidence on my internship so that will obviously help me in many areas of life. i think my interpersonal skills also improved which is very beneficial. i also learnt many skills which are relevant to commercial banking so that will help me when i come to undertake my graduate programme. in terms of my degree i think it has shown me that hard work pays off and has given me the drive to want to complete my degree to the best of my abilities, and has given me the confidence to do this. i wouldn't say there are many directly transferable skills as such aside from confidence, self belief ect.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • the atmosphere in my office was lovely. it was very professional but also friendly. there were staff of all ages and backgrounds yet everyone got on really well. at lunch times everyone socialised together which was really hie and during office hours you could tell that although everyone was very focused on they're work they still had a laugh when it was appropriate. people found it very easy to ask for help and there was not really a tense atmosphere at all. it was nice that the senior management sat in the office with everyone as it created a very positive team atmosphere and no major sense of superiority. it was a very friendly and pleasant atmosphere and i really enjoyed walking into the office veery morning.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • the internship was very well organised and if let very well catered for. there was a program of activities for me to follow on a week by week basis but also left me room for flexibility in terms that i could also organise exactly what i wanted to do. this means that i feel i got the most out of the internship as it was a combination between what i wanted to do and what the bank suggested - the perfect mix of guidance and freedom. my colleagues were very willing to accommodate what i wanted to do so this helped a lot. my line manager organised regular meetings to check that i was doing what i wanted to and was keeping up with my progress which was good. the two days before my internship started all the interns went on a team building event which was really great as it meant we all got to meet each other before hand. this made me feel very settled. email communication was good and i was always aware of what was going on and who to contact if i was unsure.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • i think the company invested a lot in me as they took me on in an internship with the potential of progressing on to a graduate scheme. although i did not go on any particular courses or anything i feel that the whole process itself was as investment as having an intern in an office can be quite a disruption. they also in my opinion went out of their way to make the interns feel welcomed and part of the hsbc team which cannot be defined in terms of value. on the last day of the internship at the intern event they made me feel really special by inviting me to canary wharf and having significant members of the business to come and talk to us. i feel very invested in and i feel hsbc will invest a lot more in me going forward in my career.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • National Travel

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • very appealing. i have been offered a place on the graduate programme and i will definitely be taking it. hsbc has come across like an amazing place to work and all the staff are so kind and welcoming and will really go out of their way to talk to you and help you. i think this is massively appealing. also the salary and bonuses are very competitive and i like the idea that i will be able to be able to compete additional qualifications when i join - which will be paid for by the company. the internship has really shown me what a fantastic company hsbc is to work for and i really belief in all the goals and values which i think is a massive positive. they really focus on their values and i think this really shows within all the employees and their attitude to work. furthermore i feel like a have a really positive career up and coming with hsbc and i am very excited about the future. there seems to be good and fast career progression and many extra curricular things to do swell which makes for the perfect work-life balance.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • there was a relatively good social scene. i was invited to after work drinks and leaving parties and they held a drinks for me when i left. some members of the office ran in a park race on a saturday which they invited me to. the graduate charities committee was also a great way to get involved with things with other interns however i was expecting more maybe on the sports side as there was not much on offer within the office that was not to do with drinking/going out and i think everyone would benefit with having things available which did not involve this. however i have heard that in the bigger cities like london there is a lot more going on so maybe this is why. i would be very interested and excited tot ry new things with work colleagues. especially as i am expected to be nationally mobile and if i was going far away from home it would be nice to have some social things with work in order to help make friends.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • i lived at home so this cost was 0 and i had to get the bus to work every day but i believe i received a small travel allowance in my wages so that was really great. i am aware that hsbc makes contributions to help with travel and living which is very helpful. i can imagine this question is highly determined on where you are working and as i was not working in a major city this made things a lot easier. the staff kitchen was really good however as it had a microwave, oven, hobs ect which was really good as i did not have to buy lunch as all the facilities were always there which helps to save a lot of money especially as they had a fridge where i could keep my lunch and hot water facilities to make drinks.

    5/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • nightlife was not experienced that much however when we did go out for drinks i had a really good time and it was nice to socialise with work colleagues outside of the working environment to get to know them on a more personal level. i knew the nightlife however as i worked in my hometown and had experienced it man times before

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • there were not really many opportunities for this. as an intern i was part of the graduate charities commute and there was a few events for this over the seven weeks which was really good however with regards to things within the office/sports/other activities there was not very much available which i was quite surprised at. work colleagues invited me to a few runs they went on however if you were not into running here was nothing else to get involved in which i think is an area which the company could definitely improve on

    3/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Commercial Banking, Retail Banking, Banking, Financial Management

East of England

November 2014


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