Marketing Planning Assisstant Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship with LBG! From the beginning I was immersed in the culture of Lloyds and was given work responsibilities and projects within the first week. From the beginning I was provided so many opportunities to develop my understanding of Group Brands and Marketing, and I was encouraged to see as much of the business as possible. Although the projects I was given seemed daunting at first, I was always supported by my colleagues who guided me in the right direction and provided me with information. Overall, I have loved the experience of working within RBB Marketing Planning!

From the outset I was made to feel extremely welcome by my immediate team and the colleagues working around me. At no point did I feel that I was a burden on their time - they were always including me within their work and providing me with invitations to meetings so that I could see the wider picture of marketing, beyond the area of planning. My colleagues were always keen to get me involved in what ever was going on, so much so that I ended up participating in the Marketing Petanque competition!

My line manager was really supportive throughout my internship. I had weekly one-to-ones where we would discuss the work ahead and clear up any uncertainties I had regarding my individual projects. On a daily basis he was always there to answer questions and guide me in the right direction, by providing me contacts and information. My manager was always keen to look over the work I had produced and often provided feedback for improvements throughout my internship.

Throughout my internship I was given to large projects to work on and this was very much research focused - therefore on a daily basis I always had tasks I could do for each of these. The majority of my day would be formed of a combination of meetings and aiding colleagues on the work they were producing. Regularly I was working with excel and PowerPoint to present the work I had created - looking back I would say there wasn't a day that I didn't work with at least one of these programmes. On top of this, I also had the responsible business challenge , where I would meet with my team to plan the next set of fundraising events. Although my weeks were busy, at no point did it feel out of control, if anything I would say it was a perfect balance.

At first my line manager was keen for me to get a baseline understanding of my area of work and so he encouraged me to meet and shadow colleagues for the first couple of weeks. This was great as it put me at ease and I had built a rapport with colleagues outside of my immediate team. From week three onwards I started getting true responsibilities - I had two larger projects to complete (Competitor Deep Dive and an Insight Library) and was regularly given work from colleagues to help support them in their role. I was also given smaller responsibilities such as arranging meetings, booking rooms, and proof reading documents before submission to senior members.

Personally, the most important skills that I have developed have been on Excel and PowerPoint. Before the internship my knowledge of both was limited to the basics, however now I feel extremely confident with creating and editing excel spread sheets. My new presentation skills and confidence gained from interacting with senior colleagues will be utilised during my university presentations. Time management has been crucial to getting all the work completed within time and to a high standard. Overall, the development I have experienced will be fully utilised throughout many elements of my r4emaining degree and beyond to future careers.

The atmosphere in my office was consistently upbeat and friendly. Everyone was looking for opportunities to interact and socialise - hot desking was implemented throughout the office and people regularly took the opportunity to move around sit with different people. Everyone was always willing to help, and conversations were always free flowing. I have never worked in such a relaxed environment, although people were extremely busy, at no point did the atmosphere become stressful or frantic.

The internship was extremely well organised - the induction event in London was brilliant and set the scene for what was to become. From the beginning I was incorporated into a series of 4 webinars which focused on personal development within the framework of LBG values. The weekly one-to-ones and the mid point and final review with my manage really demonstrated the organised nature of the programme. Based in Bristol I was also provided the opportunity to travel to London, where trains and accommodation were organised brilliantly within the LBG system. The provision of accommodation was a true life saver, and it made my commute to work a simple 10 minute walk.

I was included in the four webinars around personal development objectives, whilst during my placement with my team I went to a Terredata training event and attended a workshop in London. The majority of my development has come from the work I have completed with my team as part of my internship.

Future employment opportunities within LBG are hugely appealing! I have loved the 10 week experience and feel there are so many more opportunities to experience. From talking to colleagues, they all praise the fantastic work life balance and the opportunities to progress and move between programmes at Lloyds. Following the internship I would love to progress onto the graduate scheme.

Due to the fact all Bristol interns/scholars were placed in the same accommodation, we often socialised outside of work hours by going to the local pubs, cinemas and restaurants. Within work hours we often communicated on the group chat as to when we were going to lunch - which would either involve going to the canteen or going out for lunch to the nearest places. On evenings where going out was too much hassle we often lounged in the common room at the accommodation with a takeout.

Relatively speaking the cost of living in Bristol isn't expensive - obviously the temptations of Cabot Circus can raise the costs! There are some really nice local pubs that charge a decent price for drinks and food. The canteen at work is heavily subsidised and the quality of food is great. Local gyms are set at a standard price and the public transport is very cheap.

The nightlife was brilliant - there were events on every day of the week, and at weekends Bristol hosted a variety of festivals and fiestas. From local pubs to clubs there was always something to do in the evenings, including bingo on various occasions. Due to the fantastic location of work and the accommodation we were within walking distance of the majority of attractions.

There were opportunities to get involved - such as the Pub Rally throughout Bristol and the charity challenge often required activities outside of work as we were looking for external fundraising. A couple of the interns I was socialising with joined local sports clubs such as Squash and Volleyball, whilst the majority of us enjoyed our weekly Friday cocktails.