Intern Review

I found the internship to be an incredibly valuable insight into the world of Handelsbanken UK. Handelsbanken differs markedly from your typical high street bank. Therefore, the internship was a great opportunity to experience working in an institution which prides itself on its traditional customer service and unique approach to banking.

Throughout the process I was given plenty of opportunities to converse with and learn from my colleagues. This complemented my project work which was tailored by my manager to maximise the value I added to the branch in which I was placed. As a result, I felt the work I was doing was definitely valued by my colleagues.

I found during my time with the bank that there was always somebody I could consult regarding any issues I faced. At the start of the internship, I was given multiple contacts alongside my day-to-day colleagues that I could call upon should I require any guidance or support. These included a graduate mentor, a branch mentor, a HR contact and my manager.

I found that there was always work to be done, and as such never a dull moment during the eight weeks. While the internship itself was well structured and provided lots of opportunity to create original work, there were always opportunities to help branch staff if you were working ahead of schedule or felt like a change. Once I had developed working relationships with my colleagues I felt quite comfortable offering to help with tasks that seemed interesting to me. Correspondingly, there were plenty of opportunities to meet clients and develop a network during my time with the bank.

The first week of my placement involved lots of reviewing of regulations and of the behaviour expected from a banker in compliance with UK & EU regulatory guidance. However, once I had demonstrated an understanding of the expectations in place, I found that my manager was comfortable entrusting me with important tasks with their oversight. As part of my internship, my manager tasked me with creating a report on business performance and then delivering on the my recommendations in the final weeks of my placement. Correspondingly, we agreed to remain in touch following my departure so I could monitor the impact of my work into the future.

The work I was given while at Handelsbanken enabled me to develop skills which will serve me well throughout my career and the remainder of my time at university. For example, during my time with the bank, I leant how to work with people of different age groups and to communicate my suggestions articulately, while maintaining strong relationships with my peers.

On the whole the atmosphere in the office struck a good balance between professional and fun. I fostered good working relationships with my colleagues, especially those who sat adjacent to me at my desk. They provided good support and advice when I needed it, while also providing a good insight into the state of the banking sector pre-2008. On the whole I found them very fun to work with, and there was never a boring moment in the office.

The internship programme had been developed over many years and structured to strike a good balance between giving the interns opportunities to create original work and to learn from their colleagues. I found during my time with the bank that I could follow the structured timetable of the internship well, but there were always opportunities for further tasks available to me (should I desire).

Handelsbanken made a lot of effort to invest in its interns during my time with the bank. By default I went through a 'MyDevelopment' training programme at the beginning of the internship to familiarise myself with market regulations and the behaviour expected for an employee in my role. Similarly, during the reflection day there were presentations on how to maximise the effectiveness of your CV, and during the placement my manager was available to help me deliver on my project work so I finished the internship with tangible evidence of the value I added.

It was made apparent to us during the internship that there are copious opportunities to develop yourself within the organisation after you graduate. The company has a well-structured personal development programme to help employees achieve their goals within the bank. This could involve sharing your aims with your line manager and establishing dates to periodically review your progress.

At the beginning of the internship all the interns visited the regional HQ for an induction day. There were plenty of opportunities before and throughout the day to network and develop friendships with other interns. As part of the induction, we were split in to teams and tasked with creating a presentation over the eight weeks. This encouraged us to remain in touch to complete the group work throughout the internship, and further opportunities to network were made available in a reflection day during week 7.

I found working in Plymouth to be a very enjoyable experience and a fine introduction to the professional world. On the whole, the cost of living in the area was low and I found a pleasant place to live throughout the eight weeks for a reasonable price. Furthermore, living in shared accommodation was great as I got an opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and with different interests to my own.

Most of the free time I had during my internship I spent away from the area in which I worked. This was because I had friends who lived around an hour away and so I would meet them every weekend. As a result, I didn't have much of an opportunity to experience local nightlife.

At the beginning of the internship I became a member of the local gym and swimming pool to keep me occupied after work everyday. However, there were also great opportunities to venture beyond the typical working environment of the bank with my colleagues. For example, during the internship I met with clients in the local community and was able to hear from them first-hand how our work is helping them to develop their businesses. Similarly, my colleagues and I also visited a local country show to network with potential new clients and to visit existing clients.