Intern Review

I though the placement overall was quite enjoyable. It gave me the chance to explore different parts of the business and still have enough work in the department that I was in. I found the charity challenge to be quite fun and a good way to contribute to a worthy cause and meet interns from other streams.

When I worked for different colleagues, I felt quite valued by them and felt that I was able to aid them effectively. Since most employees tend to go on holiday over the summer, this created additional work to help out with and often resulted in the opportunity to fill in for different people over the 10 weeks.

I was given lots of support by my supervisor. We had weekly catch-up meetings and daily interactions. She was always aware of what I was working on, and managed to organise several meetings with colleagues in different departments, which allowed me to explore the wider business and learn about different jobs and how people qualify for them.

During most days, I had work that kept me occupied for the entirety of the working day. However, there were one or two weeks in the beginning where I didn't have too much to do. Luckily, Lloyds had given us access to different learning platforms and I managed to take a few courses to keep myself busy.

I was given some important responsibilities, especially later in my placement when I had a better understanding of how everything functioned and who to contact when I came across different types of issues. In addition, I was given the responsibility to take care of all financial matters of my team's charity fundraising.

The knowledge that I gained about different work streams and departments was very significant in helping me make a decision about future careers. I also picked up different skills through projects that I undertook that may not help me in my degree studies, but will definitely help me when I enter the working world.

The general atmosphere was quite good and everyone got along quite well. People were quite open and available for a chat or to help you through a piece of work throughout and that was always nice. It was generally quite a relaxed atmosphere, though there were times where it did become quite empty.

The internship as a whole was quite well organised. The Emerging Talent team sent regular email updates on different courses to focus on and things to work on over the 10 weeks. The type of work you get differs greatly depending on your line manager, and is often an extension of their work at the start, but is usually quite varied depending on who needs help.

The company does tend to invest in you in the best way they can. One of Lloyds' strategic goals is to transform its workplace and invest in getting the best and most talented individuals to work for them. As a result, they tend to give you the opportunity to find out where you best fit in the business and help give you the best preparation so that you can make a push for the graduate scheme.

Future employment aspects are quite appealing. The graduate scheme is a very good one, and lasts for two years, where you can be placed in 3 different streams. There is an optional exit interview to be considered for the graduate scheme in the last week of the internship, which most people tend to take.

Yes, there tends to be. Most students are placed in the same accommodation, allowing for greater interaction. Colleagues are usually quite open and friendly. Some offices have far more interns than others, so whether you get to interact at work depends on the department and office that you are in.

The cost of living and socialising in London tends to be quite high comparatively. However, Lloyds provides accommodation to those who require it, meaning that the cost of housing is at least taken care of. Weekly pay is more than enough to cover other costs and leave you more than enough to socialise.

Nightlife in London tends to be quite happening. The only issue is the expense but there are always things to do and places to go. However, the area in which I worked, which is East London tends to be more industrial rather than a place where one would go out.

The main organised event is a charity challenge, which happens both during and outside of work. It's a great way to meet other interns as well as engage in an array of different activities. This also gives you the chance to attend organised events by other groups, which are usually quite fun.