Bank Assistant Review

Setting up the branch ready for opening, making sure rooms are tidy, tissues, sweets, flowers and leaflets all stocked up. Check machines, switch on all branch computers. Day-to- day role - standing on Meet and Greet, we are the first people that see customers who walk into the branch, see appointments - opening of bank account and/or servicing.

Time management and organisation skills were exisiting skills, but they have developed further - managing customer expectations, completing paperwork on time. I have also built more confidence, now in charge of a business unit so have weekly meetings with the managers and commicating to advisors in Head Office via telephone, email.

I think that this programme has been satisfactory, there are a lot topics that I am new too after not coming back from a banking background. The apprenticeship is split up of two parts - an exam of the modules learnt from reading. We then also have Tesselo - which is for self development.

On Tesselo - we have a month by month structure where we focus on different areas of development and wellbeing, there is a time limit of when each month needs to be completed. On the exam side, the book I am studying has 17 modules, I have planned with my mentor to read at least 1 module a week followed by a review and a small quiz from some of the topics of the module.

I do recieve a satisfactory amount of support from my employer. We are allocated an hour a day of work to spend time on the apprenticeship, however I do not always request this as I part study in my own time out of work. If i do require support, I would not hesitate for assistance. A few other of my colleagues have also completed this apprenticeship so I also feel I have lots of support.

I am supported by my training provider, I have meetings with him every other month, another collegaue is also doing the apprenticeship and comes in again every other month. If I do need any support, I have a quick 5 minute catch up, or I do send him regular emails if i have a question about the apprenticeship.

As I mentioned previously, I was new to the banking background, the qualification has helped to me grow more confidence when speaking to customers about finance; as a bank we do mortgages but not in our branch, when customers have a query or want additional information about mortgages, I have slightly better knowledge than what i previously had. Other things I have learnt from the qualification are when consumers are in financial difficulty where they can seek help, what organisations there are to support them etc.

Extra curricular activities that I could get involved in at work are that as we are backed by HSBC, we have HSBC universtity where we are able to look into specific areas/skills to develop, so we can book inot courses and again learn more. I am yet to use this facility.

Yes

I think that HSBC is a brilliant company to work for, I feel very supported. When I first started at the company, I also felt the training involved was very useful. My employer and colleagues are all very supportive and also see them as firends. I have also banked with HSBC from a very young age and have never had any issues with them.

Advice I would give to you if you were appling for HSBC is to do your research, show confidence, believe in yourself, your own skills and knowing what you want to do. I may not know where my career path will venture out too, however I feel like this is the right path so far.