Project manager Review

I very much enjoyed my placement with Lloyds Banking Group, it was an extremely rewarding experience that taught me a lot of valuable skills. I was never stuck for things to do and was even included in teams with other interns to compete in intern challenges; there were over 100 other interns working in London with me so socially it was also a great experience.

I felt very valued by my colleagues as I was included in several key projects and frequently contacted as part of a remote team by my colleagues in Bristol who frequently gave me work and included me as part of their team. My line manager was also very helpful and positive in my monthly performance reviews which also taught me a lot.

I was given a great deal of help and support by my manager when she was working with me, although she was often busy (working remotely) and at times I was by myself in the office. This was obviously influenced by the fact that I was working in a remote team but it would have been more helpful to have more regular face to face contact with my supervisor.

I was fairly busy; at times I had very little to do then at others I would have a lot to do - it varied a great deal on a week to week basis. I was also kept busy by the intern challenges that took place (the charity challenge and the retail banking challenge) which are a great addition to the Lloyds internship and taught me just as much as my actual retail banking role.

I was given a fair amount of responsibility working on a number of important projects and working actively as a part of the team. I was also given the opportunity to work with high level employees as part of the retail challenge which taught me a lot both professionally and in gaining exposure to different areas of the business.

The skills of time management were very relevant to my degree although history has very few links with banking so the relevance of my placement to my degree is relatively low. I would however like to note that the experience of working in a professional environment and being given access to high level tasks will assist tremendously in helping me to secure a job in the future.

There wasn't an amazing atmosphere in the office as most teams worked remotely and I was often sat by myself. I also felt that a few people were unwilling to participate in banter with me (a crucial element of my social repertoire!) which was a bit of a let down because I do enjoy a good laugh and found myself a bit bored sitting alone in silence for half the day.

The placement was very well organised because Lloyds have been offering placements for several years now. Not only was the team ready for my arrival and aware of exactly what to expect from the process, but there were challenges set up for interns which both challenged us and taught us about project management and presentation.

Lloyds invested in me a lot both in terms of the fact that I was given my own laptop, company phone and other items but also in terms of organising and funding the retail challenges and the whole Lloyds scholars event days which told us exactly what to expect from the process. Several colleagues also gave up their time to help my personal development.

Employment prospects within Lloyds are very good. The company has a graduate scheme which I am very likely to apply for/ hopefully work on which will aid my professional development and possibly offer me a career. The only thing that worries me is a possible lack of progression (speaking to several colleagues) although I'm sure that Lloyds has a strong line of progression.

The social scene amongst fellow students was excellent, partially because we all knew each other already from university but also because many of us were staying in accommodation together (Lloyds fund your accommodation for the 10 weeks) and the night life in London was great. My charity challenge team also enjoyed team meals together and are still in contact after the internship.

I lived at home but while at work it was socially very good.

Several opportunities to participate in charity challenges such as the three peaks challenge.