Summer Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship because I felt that I was integrated into the team and was made comfortable from the very start of the internship. There were various support and guidance given by the colleagues in my team and it definitely helped me with the task that I'm given

I felt valued by my colleagues because I was entrusted with daily tasks and the rest of my team got me involved in various types of projects. My work was also noted to be of a good quality which is important and appreciated by the rest of the team. Having team lunches and dinners were also extremely important.

Whenever I'm given a specific task, I would be given clear instructions on how to execute the tasks and I can always go to the team for any sort of questions or tips in order to do my work faster or better. My colleagues will also approach me to ask if I'm doing alright.

I am not too busy on a daily basis and I don't usually have to stay pass dinner unless I choose to do so. I was only busy when I was trying to complete my individual internal project and it was my choice to stay late in order to produce a good piece of work for the presentation

I was not given much responsibility and I do feel that I can be given more responsibility throughout the whole internship. The sort of work that I've been given unfortunately gives me very little autonomy and little room for my own thinking and decision making. Some work were unfortunately rather menial

The skills that I develop are extremely helpful for the future when I start working - the skills include people skills (managing expectations, building relationships and building your personal brand). Apart from that, I've built good commercial awareness through this internship

There is a mix in terms of the general atmosphere - at times it can be extremely dull because I am not given any tasks to do. At times, it can be tensed when I am expected to produce my work very quickly in a very short span of time, under intense pressure due to demands from the directors.

The overall internship was very well set-up with a clear framework, objectives, mid-term as well as review and feedback. The addition of various types of networking events and relationship-building events with other fellow interns is definitely very valuable as well.

I do feel that the firm invested time and effort in me. This is because my colleagues are consciously using their time and effort to teach me various things - time and effort which could have been spent on working on their own projects. Besides that, HSBC also organised various training and learning sessions to equip us with personal and technical skills

Future employment prospects are good as the team does indicate whether or not they appreciate your work and recognise your contribution to the team on a holistic basis. I also see that there are good opportunities to travel to other parts of the world to work under HSBC's umbrella

Due to the busy nature of the work where analysts might have to work till wee hours of the morning, the social scene is not what I had expected. I had expected more socialising to happen after working hours outside the office but I appreciate that the nature of work prevents this from happening

The cost of living and socialising is extremely good in Canary Wharf - with loads of good, classy and unique places to go to at appropriate prices. Also, the subsidised canteen in HSBC which I go to quite often definitely contributes to bringing the cost of living lower for its employees.

The Nightlife in Canary Wharf is good but it's not something that I have been heavily involved in due to the nature of my job and I prefer not to engage in it especially during the weekdays. However, pubs are generally packed after working hours in the Canary Wharf are

The CSR programme organised by the Graduate recruitment team was a great opportunity to engage in activities outside of work - we spend half a day in Mile End park clearing up tree stumps, laying logs to make a proper paths and laying woodchip to create good walking ground