Connect Support Assistant Review

I enjoyed my placement but i did find that sometimes, everyone was too busy to answer some of the questions i had. Luckily, i had 2 graduates on the grdauate scheme at my work place to ask. I recieved a steady work load but i would often finish my work really quickly so would be constantly asking for things to do- and sometimes noone offered anything (so i would click around on discover learning to fill my time productively instead).

Again, this links in to the fact that my colleagues were often busy- as it was a call centre environment. Many would reschedule meetings, prefer me emailing them, or not get back to me at all. I did become the 'go to' for small jobs and anything computer/website related though, so i did feel valued in that sense. On a wider scale, they didn't understand my role as they were not familiar with the platform i was tasked with promoting (HIVE). They were all friendly and very welcoming though.

I often felt that my manager was quite busy- so left me to organise a lot of my days myself. I preferred this, but would finish my work quickly, and then struggle to find jobs to do. My manager did always offer support and be open to having meetings, but left me to sort a lot out myself if i had a question/issue. Before he went on his holiday break, i would have liked it if i had more jobs to do as i explained that i was finished with my personal ones.

I very often found myself watching videos or clicking around/exploring the Lloyds website/ discover learning / HIVE- as i would need to fill in large gaps. Because i was running low on jobs, i personally arranged 2 days of shadowing in branches. Initially though, before i finished my tasks and i had just started on them, i was busy everyday with reasonable breaks. I finished them by the 3rd/4th week so i had to move to another task and voluntarily took on more work otherwise i would have been bored.

I was given a lot of responsibility to single handedly create and launch the HIVE page for the team. I was given complete freedom, and total responsibility to do what i saw fit. When i assisted with recruitment and asked to complete the candidate reviews to fill in my time, i was wholly trusted to do this with minimal input- eventhough some information was sensitive.

I feel like i have personally developed a lot during these 10 weeks. I have encountered a lot of difficult situations and instances where i was forced to put aside my anxiety and shyness, and grow confidence to speak to new people and single handedly take on/seek tasks. I think this independence that i have gained will greatly help me in my study as i will not feel as dependent on lecturers. I now also have a greater knowledge of banking through the links/courses provided, and feel more comfortable in discussing my own banking account/future. From the whole experience, i feel like i have matured and am now seriously considering different career paths i did not consider before (personal banking adviser), and am now actively taking steps to be able to reach these career aspirations- volunteering in a carer help line to gain phone experince, for example.

Because the office was a call centre, it was constantly busy- with people walking about and talking. It was very rarely quiet, and it would be interesting listening to the way calls were handled. Because of the rate change though, colleagues were very busy so were often stressed and felt overworked. Therefore, morale was often low but many events/buffets were put in place to combat this.

I felt like i had to do a lot of the organisation, and chasing up. I was given a list of tasks to do during my time here in the first week, but really focused on only 2 of them. Everything else was little jobs that i asked for or was given as someone was busy. The reason my main tasks didn't follow through was because of how busy the office was- so things like organising the team's charity month were pulled. Therefore, i had to plan my weeks (after the 3rd/4th) myself.

Everyone was very open in helping me deciding my future career path, and were fine to chat if they had the time. They all offered advice and spoke about their experiences, which was useful. I found the graduates who were on the graduate scheme the most useful, as they pointed me to useful websites and were happy to sit and look at my CV etc. My line manager was very focused on my personal training, and always asked me what stage i was at and what i still wanted to develop.

I really like the variety of jobs in the bank- and am completely surprised that i am looking into jobs in the bank. I love the environment and values, and everyone feels like a family. I appreciate that my time during the internship was slightly different due to being in a call centre environment, but because i arranged many phone calls with different managers in different areas of the bank, i am now looking into working in transformation or in a branch (As i shadowed there too).

I developed a close friendship with the 2 graduates in the office with me- eventhough one left quite soon after i'd joined. I found them both to be work friends and close personal friends, and enjoyed work more because of being able to socialise with them. Within the office, the team i with had many smaller teams which all had really positive fun vibes. They all socialised with each other and would go out for meals, and i was often asked to join.

I lived at home due to personal/family reasons, and the office was not far at all from my house. Therefore, the cost of living and socialising was next to nothing, with just fuel costs for driving to work everyday. I'm glad i worked close to home, not only because of my home situation, but because it was my first job/internship and i wanted my focus to be on the placement itself (not the travelling/living).

I did not go out/socialise as much as i thought i would, maybe because i was the only intern at the office. My manager and our team would ask me out a few times, but i would feel like a stranger sometimes due to not understanding the work jokes. If i had the opportunity, i probably wouldn't go out/socialise as i was always tired as soon as i would come home from work. Night time is for sleeping for me :)

When we thought the team's charity month would be going ahead, there were many events to help out with on the weekends. There was also the opportunity to participate in some volunteering, in the 'day to make a difference' program. Other than this, i was very much justaware of activities happening in the work place,