Finance Analyst Review

My internship was a mixture of both learning about banking and learning about myself. As my first internship I was anxious as to what to expect and as to how i would respond to the challenges I was presented with but Lloyds managed to balance the work given between challenging me but not overwhelm me. This allowed me to exceed my own expectations, and i've surprised myself with how well I've taken to life in finance. I've absolutely loved it!

I was in a team of ten and they all went out of their way to make me feel welcome from day 1. I spent a bit of time working with each member of my team for the duration of my ten week internship and so really got to know all of them. So as well as them making me feel comfortable to go to them with any questions they would also come to me with any questions about the work i was doing. The work I was doing was also valuable to the team, made me feel like I was making a contribution and actually helping out and it always made me very proud to be thanked by any member of my team and told that that is exactly what they wanted when they briefed me.

From day 1 I was encouraged to, and very much did, ask questions whenever I was unsure about something. Particularly when entering a finance role I encountered alot of ebbreviations and jargon. My line manager and the rest of my team answered my questions in a simple way and a way that helped me not only understand the word but how they fit into the business and the role i was completing my internship in. The best thing about all the guidance and support offered was that it was never patronising and they never made me feel like an idiot for asking about what are for them very simple and obvious concepts.

I enjoyed the workload I had. I had just about the right amount of work for me. I did enjoy having a mixture of tasks that had to be completed on a daily basis and overhead tasks with deadlines as this allowed me to work to my own pace and always have something to be working on. Also if i did happen tofinish work my team were always good at finding me something to do or read up on (that wasnt and didnt feel like a remedial task)

I felt like I was given a fair bit of responsibility and this was pretty consistent from day 1. I didnt feel like I had to prove myself to them in order to recieve it either, it was like I had already done that bit by passing the application process. At first the prospect opf responsibility on real important work freaked me out a little but i surprised myself at how well i took to it, and to some extent even enjoyed it.

As a first year studying a degree in Economics & Politics i found my internship was particularly relevant. As well as getting a better idea of the inner workings of a bank my line manager worked hard to explain things in a way that i would understand and point out interactions with government bodies or applications of basic economic skills. It was an invaluable way to consolidate my first years knowledge of both subjects.

I work in a big open plan office and everyone seemed lovely. There was a lot of chit chat but the individual teams tend to keep themselves to themselves. Everyone also looks very busy (what you would hope at a big bank!) but as an intern it was a little intimidating approaching people in the office who's roles you might want to find out more about as you dont want to waste their time. But if you drop anyone an email they're more then happy to help and the interns are in fact highly valued at lloyds.

With internship open and close events held to make sure everyone knew where they were going and what they were doing and was expecte of them the internship process ran very smoothly. It was very easy to get in touch with the team looking after the interns and they replied very quickly. Getting paid was also very easy and there was another independent support team for anyone who might have found difficulty with the timesheet system.

Its made very clear that it is in their interests to make use and make the most of the interns. Onme because its an extra member of the team for the summer but also because if they invest in you then there is a higher chance you will come back to them and invest back in them. They're very clear about the importance of cultivating talent and this is a common theme throught the company.

I'm only in my first year but my internship has completely changed my view of Lloyds and i would love to work with them as part of the grad scheme or just at some point in the future.

I lived in accomodation with alot of my fellow interns and so the atmosphere was very similar to living at uni. There was always someone doing something and so always something to do. And of course if all else fails there was the pub.

I did my internship in the City so obviously pretty steep price wise. Food was quite expensive also but the subsidised starbucks was reasonable. Where we actually lived was alot better and much more like home pint prices (im from the north). Attractions down here as well that many people want to see are pretty expensive, but most of them are worth paying for!

London is crazy big, the advantage of which is that there isevery kind of club you could want. Because there was a big group of us we went to all sorts of places and there was a wide array of posh clubs if you fancied splashing your cash or cheap pubs if you wanted a typical student night.

There were alot of opportunities to socialise with your team inc. pub quiz type things, lloyds corporate events with free drinks and food, work sports clubs etc. If you went looking it was very easy to find.