Risk Intern Review

by Lloyds Banking Group

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.4/5
  • The Role
    3.7
  • The Company
    2.8
  • The Culture
    3.8

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • The experience has set me in good stead for the world of work ahead. The work was largely varied and challenging (to a good level of course!). I particularly enjoyed the high level of autonomy we were given - it was quite laissez-faire which was good. In this respect, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • The hierarchy and structure of SWB was quite flat, meaning that people were extremely approachable and friendly, especially whenever you needed advice. My colleagues in particular went out of their way to make sure that they were there for me if I had any questions or needed assistance with my work.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • The level of support given by management was excellent. I was introduced to several senior figures within our team, so that if I was unable to seek assistance from my line manager, I would have others whom I could turn to in order to get the answers to questions that I needed. There were regular one to ones, again alongside other senior figures within the team, which helped to ensure that the ongoing support I received was holistic.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Risk introduced me to a different way of working. It's the case of people having to get back to you to get the information you need, so project working is quite fragmented. In this respect, I found myself in busy spells on some days, and very quiet ones on other days. Balancing your workloads and priorities was key, as I found myself asking my manager a lot for additional work at times.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • As explained before, was given a high degree of autonomy. The approach was very laissez-faire. i.e. I was given the opportunity to develop my own methods and enact my own plans when engaging in work. Any queries or difficulties I had would then be brought up to my manager. The work was very individual-led, which felt like you were making a huge impact with important projects.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I have developed the propensity to be more self-assured in my abilities and to speak out whenever I feel that something isn't quite right - whether that be a behaviour or process etc. Furthermore, the nature of working in Risk required me to spot anomalies and inconsistencies that others may have overlooked. This is crucial for both my degree course, whose mathematical analysis content is rigorous.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The atmosphere was what one would typically expect - a certain level of formality, yet the freedom to wear smart casual clothing - as opposed to a suit day in day out, contributed to a collective environment where everyone felt relaxed and at ease. The work would be quite solitary at times, with individual colleagues engrossed in their own tasks. However, the camaraderie and friendliness of my colleagues offset this a lot.

    3/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Quite well, in my opinion. There was clear direction, all the way from acceptance of my offer, up until the induction day and then my first day up in Edinburgh. Lots of emails to keep you updated as to the progress of where you would be placed, introduction to a graduate mentor, as well as regular contact with line manager in order to finalise plans for first day and the general working week etc. Impressed.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I felt as if the personal training and development afforded to me by my line manager in particular was fair. There was more of a sense of her and the team investing in me as opposed to Lloyds Banking Group as a whole. There was admittedly a good level of online training available - but often I felt that this was just used as a gap filler in order to kill time whilst our line managers could find us something to do.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Company Parties/Events

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • There was somewhat of a misunderstanding, with graduate mentors who we were in contact with seeming to give the impression that if a referral was made, then you would more than likely be awarded a place on the graduate scheme. The competition for places was evidently fierce, I didn't receive an offer for graduate employment and was told that I would have to embark on the application process once more. I don't see myself working with LBG in the near future.

    2/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • The social scene and varied characters that I came across undoubtedly were one of the best parts of the internship. Everyone that LBG selected was personable, friendly, quirky and extremely intelligent. This was refreshing when socialising to be around like-minded individuals etc. Have made many friends whom I am still in contact with.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • As we did not have to pay rent, which is invariably much cheaper in Edinburgh, I didn't find that the cost of living varied that much from London to be honest. e.g. Buses are actually 10p more per journey in Edinburgh and tram fares to/from the airport were rather expensive. A saving grace was the cost of drinks on a student night during the week. At the weekend however, many prices in clubs and bars were what you would expect in Central London.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife was fantastic. Edinburgh is a beautiful and vibrant city, full of character and this is definitely emulated within the nightlife scene.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • The Helping Britain Prosper challenge, in aid of charity partner for the year Mental Health UK, allowed us to fundraise for an incredibly worthy cause and take time out of our schedules to get involved with activities that we might not have done at uni - e.g. some of us climbed Ben Nevis, others arranged raffles and bake sales, tattoos and selling artwork etc. The varied nature of what we could get up to was nice.

    4/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Retail Banking

Scotland

November 2017


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