Finance Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the work I was doing. I got placed in Operations Finance which I initially knew nothing about. The team I was with really put the time and effort in to teach me more about their jobs and the world of finance. Once they felt they could trust me, they all started giving me work. As I was given a variety of work, it was always engaging. A major part of my role was working on a project, which seeing it grow over the 10 weeks I was there, really did give me a valuable insight which was also engaging. I really enjoyed this placement and would be more than happy to return!

I feel like my team didn't just 'create' tasks for me to do, nor give me menial jobs. The work I was given genuinely was needed and appreciated so they valued the work I was completing. Because of this, I felt properly valued as a person and a true part of the team. Even though the team tended to work in an agile way, I felt like the trust network we had built up meant that we all got along really well, despite all being of totally different ages and backgrounds. I really felt like my presence was appreciated and a real part of the team.

My manager really went above and beyond for me. He even contacted previous colleagues and friends of his so I could get a more rounded experience of the bank , as well as a knowledge of other finance organisations. I genuinely felt that he wanted to help me as a person, rather than for his own benefit, of for the benefit of the bank. We had regular meetings and he also offered to help me with updating and polishing my CV. Despite my wider team not being 'responsible' for me as such, they were always on hand (some of them even on their days off) to offer guidance and answer my questions. Sometimes I felt in the earlier weeks that I may have be pestering them with my million and one questions. But, they were always willing to help and never complained once.

I was kept busy enough that I wasn't constantly clock-watching. But, I never once felt overwhelmed by the amount of work I had. I was always asked before extra work was given to me if I had the capacity to take it on. There were days when I felt like I had a lot of work to do and other lighter days, but it balanced out perfectly. My team were really keen to keep me busy so would top up the amount of work I had, if needed. But equally, I was also supported by a lot of team-members so they would help me if I had a particularly large amount of work to do. I was never given strict deadlines which really helped!

Whilst I wasn't 'running the place' I wouldn't expect to. I was certainly given a lot more responsibility that a lot of other interns (and some graduates) which was great as I felt trusted, valued and a real member of the team. But, I wasn't given so much responsibility that I felt under pressure or as if my team were just piling off their own responsibilities. I felt like I had to earn their trust in order to be given responsibility and also that they had to know me enough in order to gauge how much responsibility they could give me.It really was a nice mix and a perfect balance.

Whilst the skills I learned weren't always applicable to my degree, nor were my degree skills always applicable to my placement (I'm studying chemistry and was placed in finance). I felt like the skills I learned would be invaluable in a career in finance or banking (my team were well aware that I wasn't from a finance background so were happy to do some extra explaining for me). I also learned a lot of invaluable transferrable skills (particularly in excel) including the general setup of a bank, networking and communication with others. I was always given time to develop myself as well as given career mentoring (this was particularly useful as before this placement I had no idea which career path I may head towards). I honestly can't quite explain how much I have learned and will take away from this experience; it really has changed me as an individual.

Whilst there were times when work needed to be done (as you'd expect). My team were always happy to have a chat and a laugh. On some days (mainly Fridays) the office was quite empty but it was more calm than lifeless. The general atmosphere was chilled and calm; people worked in an agile way so could come and go as they pleased (including working from home) within reason. I don't feel like it was too chilled that it was unproductive, however- it was expected you'd complete whatever work needed doing and would prioritise this above other things going on within the office.

Whilst my actual internship was faultless, the initial admin beforehand was very stressful. We were outsourced and also had a security company to deal with, so often had about 3 different teams chasing us for the same information one after the other. They obviously wanted to process the information as quickly as possible, but the timescales they gave us to work to were not convenient, particularly in the middle of exams and whilst on holiday. We also were given next to no control over where we were placed; both location-wise and within the business itself. The 'tribes' which we had to select from I feel were very vague and put that way in order for them to be able to place you in whatever business area they desired. But, once I arrived, my team were amazingly well organised, although it wasn't always communicated to them what they needed to be doing (they just used their own initiative which was great).

The company gave us lots of training and development opportunities; but I feel like these were aimed at people who weren't given much actual work to do; they were often time consuming and I felt like they were of little value. But, the people around the office and within the company were always happy to pass on words of wisdom, which I felt was far more valuable- although you don't get any physical evidence of this development, I feel like you would get much more out of this. I don't feel like the company has particularly invested in me in the internship (they certainly have with my scholarship) but the people with in it are as invested in you as they can be.

I feel like I'd be well equipped to take up another placement or job within Lloyds Banking Group and I would be more than happy to; I would rather work in the job I've been in full time than go back to uni! The only thing I am hesitant over is the location; graduates in particular are required to be flexible on location (there's more of a focus on the skills you'll develop which is great) but I am not particularly drawn to a job in which I feel like I'd be uprooted a fair amount.I also don't feel like I've been given any other information about routes into careers with Lloyds (other than the finance grad scheme).

The social scene was generally very good, particularly in the first few weeks as the weather was amazing. But, the accommodation we were given was quite far out of town, so people wee often keen to head straight back after work as it sometimes felt like a bit of a trek back when tired. I did however feel like there was a divide between scholars (those on an internship as part of a scholarship) and inters. I occasionally felt like some of the interns felt like they were above you and as if they wouldn't consider socialising with the scholars.

The accommodation we were given was free. But, it is an expensive are, had we had to pay for it ourselves, I would have struggled I believe. However, socialising was generally pretty cheap (as was travel). The only frustration was that our accommodation was quite far away, so I felt like we were spending more time commuting (1 hour each way nearly) than we should have been. But, I've not heard of other years of interns having this issue in Bristol, so perhaps it was a situation for this year only. It would have been nice to have a bit more choice over the location we worked in, however.

People were generally socialising most nights and Bristol does have a good (and varied)nightlife. Lloyds itself had a Pub Rally (bar crawl) which was a great night out, particularly as it was so early in our internship. It was a great opportunity to get to know the area and colleagues. But, later in the night it would take more than an hour to travel back to our accommodation, which was frustrating, particularly if you had work the next day. This often dissuaded me from going out in the week (which I guess isn't always a bad thing). But, it was generally good nightlife!

There were some activities to get involved in things outside work. But, there weren't so many that it distracted you from the work you were actually supposed to be doing. I helped set up a lunchtime running club for colleagues, this really helped with the work/life balance. There were also many other social opportunities with colleagues, but the majority fell outside of the internship period. But, again the pub rally was a great opportunity. The charity challenge was also a great opportunity to raise money for a good cause, as well as develop your skills (networking, common sense and team work).