Intern Review

The placement was an entirely enjoyable experience. Upon beginning, I had very little knowledge of and experience within the banking industry. As a result of this, a large proportion of the placement was made up of learning about the inner workings of a bank and the products offered by Lloyds. This has been extremely beneficial for my greater understanding of the financial industry and has ensured the placement has been worthwhile.

I felt my colleagues were respectful and always willing to help. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them, discussing their roles and careers to date. It was clear that they acknowledged my inexperience as an employee of Lloyds and were committed to ensuring that my internship was as beneficial as possible.

Soon after being accepted onto the programme, I was assigned a line manager. Whilst completing the internship, my line manager offered consistent support and feedback throughout. This was mainly done through the organisation of several weekly meetings and in depth reviews placed at the middle and end of the internship.

My workload was rather variable. Whilst there were some days when my workload was slightly overwhelming, mostly I was able to plan and structure my assignments in such a way that I would be able to remain efficient and busy throughout the week. On days that I did not have much on, I would spend more time on improving the quality of my existing work, which I felt was a better use of spare time.

I was surprised to be given as much responsibility as I had been. As an intern with very little experience I had expected to be tasked with more laborious tasks but was instead given assignments which were interesting and provided the opportunity to be creative. Through this, I was able to learn more about the business which allowed me to then take on more technical projects.

Working efficiently is a skill that will be very useful to take back to University. Unlike my degree, I was given several tasks and deadlines at Lloyds. This allowed me to learn how to manage my time and workload whilst also prioritising quality. This is a skill which I can transfer to my studies when organising revision around several modules.

The atmosphere in the office was generally very welcoming and friendly. During the internship, there was an emphasis on agile working and wellness around the office. This meant that colleagues were especially jovial, further improving the atmosphere. There would also be several events scheduled throughout the month to aid this.

Unfortunately, Lloyds suffered issues with vetting which led to several interns, including myself having to miss a proportion of the internship at the start. Also, one of the inductions was scheduled two weeks into the placement at which point most interns were familiar with the business, making it less relevant and informative. Other than these factors, the internship was set up well with the rest of the placement being well structured and organised.

There was a particular emphasis on personal development throughout the internship. With specific weekly development themes and consistent feedback throughout, it was clear that Lloyds were committed to making sure interns were given as much support as possible. However, this could have been enhanced by implementing some form of assessment which could have tracked progress over the course of the internship.

Having spoken to several colleagues, it is clear that there are a range of prospects available in future in many fields and roles. The career paths of several colleagues have been extremely varied which shows that there are several routes to take in future which can all lead to the same end goal.

Unfortunately, I was placed in Manchester where there were far fewer interns than in other parts of the country. However, we were given the opportunity to work together on several projects within the office which was largely enjoyable for all involved. Regardless, there were definitely opportunities to socialise with fellow interns, even if there were fewer around.

The cost of living was manageable and exactly what I would've expected.

The Nightlife was interesting in Manchester,

Yes, colleagues would engage in activities such as 5 a side football and pub crawls which we were given the opportunity to be involved in.