CMB Internship Review

Mostly enjoyed the experience as I was able to gain an understanding of the roles that are performed at the bank, as well as the roles that would be completed by new graduates. Sometimes there is a lack of actual work to do though and the days can drag on as a result.

On the whole everyone is very welcoming and friendly and were always happy to provide you with advice and guidance if you were stuck or didn't understand something. Due to the nature of their roles however, often they are very busy and may not always have enough time to go over something properly with you.

Unfortunately my internship managers weren't based at the office where I did my internship, instead they came into the office once or twice a week. This meant if I needed any help from them I would have to email and a reply may take a while to come back to me. When they were in the office however, they were always very helpful and supportive.

At the beginning of the internship I always had something to do, whether it be setting up I.T or getting started on a project I had been assigned. Towards the end of the internship there was less and less work to do and despite asking colleagues for more, I often found myself with no work to do.

There is a project given to you at the start of the internship which isn't very complex, and in my case didn't take very long to complete. Because you are new to the bank you don't understand too much of how it operates so the project will be relatively simple and any other work given to you will require little understanding also.

I did my internship when the Brexit vote was taking place. As an economics student I found it very interesting to see the impact of the result from a banks point of view, which has given me many different points of view to consider in the future. In general however I think the internship experience will have a positive effect on my degree studies as it has enabled me to become more focused on life after university and understand what I am working towards.

The general atmosphere was very good, although everyone is very busy there is still a good level of 'banter' in the office, something which surprised me as there were many different departments on one floor which I had thought wouldn't interact too much. There were quite a few company and client 'away days' which helps the atmosphere.

Generally the majority of the internship is organised by your placement manager who will set you a project and assign you any work. The organisation will therefore depend on the managers you are assigned. So for one placement the internship was very well organised, and for the other, it was less organised.

Company try to provide you with some training at the start and end days of the internship, when all the interns get back together with the graduate recruitment team. Such training will include interview technique and how to make an impression. During the actual internship itself, feedback is given by managers to allow you to develop throughout the internship.

Future employment prospects are very appealing. There were webex's held throughout the internship which would explain different roles and areas of the bank to the interns, as well as explaining the graduate scheme to us. Hopefully I am offered a place on the graduate scheme by HSBC, if I am I will very quickly accept!

As I was based in a regional office (and not in London) I wasn't very close to many other interns. Therefore there wasn't much of an opportunity to socialise with them unless it was on a day when we were all in the same office. Some offices do have occasional drinks and I was invited along to one in my office - but these occur much more infrequently.

I worked in the centre of Leeds so there was plenty going after work finished. Within a two minute walk there are a few different bars and restaurants to go to, as well as a few different clubs which are around a five minute walk away. Being in Leeds as well they are much cheaper than London and the South of England which is a bonus.

Unfortunately not. As I may have previously mentioned, because I was in a regional office there weren't many other interns close by to me, and even if there were it may have been difficult to organise something.