Intern in Divisional Tresury, Group Corporate Treasury Review

Importantly I felt part of my team. I was challenged regularly with tasks which taught me a great deal about banking and the financial sector. I was given a couple opportunities to prove myself also which was good. Most people were friendly and there was a positive working atmosphere within the bank. Friendliness from others meant that I was able to go into other teams of the bank and have sessions where I gained insight in how they worked and the tasks they had to complete. The charitable aspect of the bank was great also and I really felt that the bank was following through with their aim to help Britain prosper.

I felt valued by my colleagues to a great extent. They were always willing to help when necessary and gave me control of some tasks which made me really feel like I was adding value to the team. I didn't feel like I was treated any differently to permanent employees at the bank. If anything, at times, people seemed more intrigued that I was an intern and would ask me questions such as why I chose LBG or why Finance. This was great and it meant I was able to build a presence in the office.

I could not have wished for a better line manager. He challenged me to do things which I didn't think I'd be able to do and was always able to find time in his busy schedule to provide support and guidance. The balance was just right also - Whilst support and guidance was given, I was also able to exercise initiative and get on with things independently. This meant that I was able to really own my tasks, feel a part of the team and more importantly feel like I was contributing to the team and making a small difference.

Early on in the internship I was not busy and didn’t have that much to do. Whilst this was frustrating at times it got much better as the internship developed. In fact I felt like there was a good progression which eased me into the role so that my understanding of things was deep rooted and not just at a surface level

I was given a sufficient level of responsibility during my placement. At the start this came as a surprise as I didn’t expect as much responsibility at the beginning. However whilst this is the case, I feel like I could have been given a little more responsibility later on in the internship after I was successful at the tasks given earlier on.

I developed analytical skills through reading through reports and summarising/understanding information necessary for my team. Presentation skills were also developed through working on a range of non-day job projects. Expectedly, other typical skills such as team work, intrapersonal and resilience skills were also exercised. Training was somewhat informative but did seem tedious at times. Importantly though, the need for organisation during my placement was important and will help me organise myself better in my degree studies and beyond

The general atmosphere in the office was positive. I never really felt intimidated or inferior during the placement largely due to the friendly atmosphere. The events held in the office such as the charity summer event really highlighted the positive atmosphere as it was an opportunity where everyone showed how well they were able to get on with others within the office.

The internship seemed well organised and I never really had to deal with any significant problems administratively. However it would have been great to meet interns working in other parts of the bank and not just the stream I was in to see how they were doing and gain more of an understanding of how other elements of the bank work from an intern's eyes.

There was great opportunity for personal development through developing skills from the different tasks I executed. Training was okay also but was mainly online. It would have been great to have more training with other interns in the bank.

Future employment prospects within the organisation was very appealing largely because of the group's flexibility. Firstly, the group offers a massive range of different roles I could potentially fill. This is great because only a few firms have such a scope of opportunities. Also, the agile working approach instilled to working for LBG seems to work quite well and suits the modern professional much better than other firms do.

Unfortunately there didn't seem to be much of a social scene amongst any fellow placement students/ colleagues. This was a bit of a shame as it would have been great to know more people who were in a similar position to me. However, this was probably because I opted to live at home and commute to work rather than stay at the accommodation LBG provided.,

The placement was based in London - the city I'm from, so I knew how things worked and was already used to the prices of things here. Considering this, the cost of living was expectedly high. Travel was probably the largest cost as travelling through to zone 1 during peak times in London is expectedly high