Assistant Manager Group Ambassador Programme at Lloyds Banking Group

I have had a great internship that has given my many opportunities on the external front, notably reputation management. I have been involved in a very inclusive team that have gone the extra mile to involve me in as many opportunities as possible. All in all this has been great for my development.

I felt as though my opinion was valued in making team decisions, and that I was valued as a young person who could bring a fresh approach to tasks and decisions. I was given responsibilities to own my own areas of projects as well as assisting others and felt as though I could help add value.

My manager understood that I had the skills and competence but that I did need guidance in order to best approach situations since my experience is limited to only two internships prior to this placement, and I have entered a team in a new area of GCA that is new to me.

I had consistent tasks which provided a constant level of work, but I also had separate projects which ensured that I always had a good level of workload and was also stretched. I have met and worked with many people more widely in the team which has given me the opportunity to engage more widely with colleague projects elsewhere.

As noted in the previous question, I was trusted to own projects and support colleagues in areas of the business that are very new to me. I felt trusted to complete the tasks to a level which my colleagues were satisfied with and deliver them, but I also felt able to ask for guidance.

Given I do an essay-based degree, writing skills are essential and I definitely believe that my placement has exposed me to corporate writing styles which will be useful in more analytical pieces of work at uni and further into the working world. I think I have developed skills which will make me more marketable too.

In my office the staff were more relaxed in comparison to my placement in London, and I also felt more able to approach my colleagues and ask for support if necessary. Everyone in Edinburgh has been very encouraging and supportive with an interest in supporting me going forward in my career too.

My placement took place during a restructure so there has been some disruption, but my manager has done his best to ensure that this transition has been as smooth as possible. However, this has meant that I've had to learn very quickly given the timescale of my internship and development of the new working world.

I feel as though my manager has been very supportive, but I feel that the business has invested less than previous years in training up interns and providing guidance sessions. We did some training, but I feel this could have been to a higher level and in far more depth,

My current division has cut the grad scheme, but given how much encouragement and support I've had I would be very willing and interested to return to the business at a later date. The new grad schemes are yet quite vague, but I am still very interested in applying for them.

The social scene amongst colleagues has been limited but this is what I would expect from a professional environment. The social scene from students here has been high, but sometimes too much. I am living with 18/19 year olds and as a girl in her 20's this is very disruptive mid week when I would like to focus on work rather than be kept up late at night,

Cost of living has been very reasonable, we were put up in accommodation. The only time costs could be expensive is when we are required to travel for work. Socialising could be argued to be more costly given Edinburgh as a city and the internship took place during the fringe, but this is up to the individual.

Fine, and especially good during the fringe. However, this is not a priority of mine during my internship. I have however had the opportunity to spend evenings in what I consider a safe and welcoming city with my friends which for me is very important when in a new location.

I have been doing a lot of sports with other interns who also share the same sporting interests as me. I am sure that there are activities going on in the city but given we are here for 10 weeks, committing to clubs and gyms might not be worth it.