Summer Intern Review

The internship was a very enjoyable experience overall, as well as an excellent introduction to retail banking.

At the beginning my branch colleagues did not really understand my role and they had their own tasks so there was little communication with them. After the first 2 weeks or so, once I had began to take part in the daily activities of the branch, my colleagues were very friendly and helpful. They were very patient and attempted to answer all my queries even though this was not always convenient for them. Towards the end of the internship, I really felt like I was part of the team and that my colleagues valued me.

Guidance came in the form of regular contact with a graduate trainee that was assigned to look after a group of the interns, as well as meeting with the branch manager. The branch manager was expectedly busy at most times, however he always made sure to dedicate some time to discuss my progress and plans for the internship. Regular conference calls with other interns and our graduate supervisor solved most queries that arose and provided guidance for the project that had to be undertaken.

During the first few weeks I was not very busy and was mostly involved in shadowing and soaking in as much information as possible to understand the inner workings of the branch. As time went on and my colleagues gained confidence in me, I was given more tasks on top of my assigned project. Closer to the end of the internship, I was very busy on the sales floor.

Throughout the internship, I had a good amount of responsibility. Once again, at first I was asked to refrain from interacting with customers and to spend time learning but little by little I was given more time to spend on the sales floor. The branch manager allowed me to conduct several morning 'huddles' and to conduct mystery shopping in nearby branches on my own.

The skills that I developed are not related to my degree studies but overall, customer engagement has been very useful. I have been able to gain more understanding of how to communicate with customers not only in general but specifically within the banking sphere. These are transferable skills that will be useful in many different industries.

The atmosphere was very friendly. One of the first things I noticed was that the branch staff were very enthusiastic and open, not only on the sales floor but also in the office. Everyone was very committed and this was quite inspiring.

The overall organisation was good, especially the induction that took place prior to the internship. Everything was laid out clearly with regards to goals and expectations. However, the project that had to be undertaken was formulated vaguely. While this provided a lot of freedom, it would have been nice to receive a little more concrete guidance at the initial stages.

Future employment prospects are very appealing due to the organisation's international nature and the variety of different spheres available. However, HSBC did not offer the possibility to try something different following a retail internship, despite offering this opportunity earlier on. Nevertheless, HSBC's graduate programmes are very appealing.

Regular socials with other interns were organized but turnout was rather poor most times. Within the branch itself, due to the fact that it was open on Saturdays many colleagues were not able to participate.

London is London, expensive overall.

Again, it's London. Lots to choose from

Several fundraising activities were set up but other than that there was little available for interns.