Assistant Archivist Review

I very much enjoyed my internship with Lloyds Banking Group, being placed in Group Archives and Museums enabled me to see a different side to banking and the importance of corporate history to a company's value. As such, it dovetailed neatly with my interests and experiences already in the heritage sector, complementing and improving my skills and abilities.

I felt to be a valued asset in my role, completing work which then became important resources of information for my line managers. Both of my line managers and other people in the office were congenial and friendly, including me in socials like lunches and dinner, meaning I felt to be a fully integrated member of the team.

I was supported by my line managers where appropriate, explaining clearly the parameters of tasks I was given to complete, while also ensuring I was fully set-up in the office, from security passes to printers. Lloyds is a bureaucratic organisation, and my lines managers deftly guided me through the various necessary processes.

I was always busy and often had several tasks to simultaneously work on, all with differing priorities. Whenever I finished one, my line managers always were ready to furnish me another. However, I never felt unduly pressured by my various projects and my line managers understood if I needed more time to work on a task.

I was given responsibility of both work and environment, inasmuch as that once set a project, I was allowed to work independently after the initial first week, letting my lines managers get on with their own work. I was trusted with keys to stores and with locking up securely the archives, resulting in me becoming a trusted member of the team who was given significant responsibility.

The official Lloyds training provided via webinars and conference calls was somewhat generic and its relevance to my internship was a little marginal. However, the on the job training within the archives, facilitated by my line managers, nurturing and developing skills such as using primary sources of various kinds, while adjusting to an office environment, was excellent.

The office in London was busy, formal and less personable, while my smaller office in Edinburgh was a lot friendlier and relaxed.

The internship was very organised and set-up; the Scholars team running it were always ready to reply to questions, while providing us with extensive packs of information, both on the practicalities of an internship with Lloyds Banking Group, and the expectations that would be placed on us. Line managers were well-informed and well-prepared and despite my internship being split in two locations - London and Edinburgh - the transition was very smooth.

The investment in the Lloyds Scholar program, both in terms of time and money, represents a significant outlay, showing that the bank truly values your presence and is invested in your own personal development, such as placing you in an area of the company which best fits you, while also ensuring that you are stretched and challenged.

While it was only the first of my two internships with Lloyds, I feel from the feedback that I received from my line managers that my employment prospects, in the form of a graduate job offer, was likely and appealing, being a very focused organisation with a strong ethos of corporate responsibility and a concern for the welfare of its employees.

There seemed to be in London, although I was more independent in the evenings and weekends. It appeared to be a quieter social scene in Edinburgh.

In London, the cost of living was very expensive, from travel to restaurants, although this was reflected in the increased wages for interns working in London. Edinburgh on the other hand, was far more reasonably priced, food and public transport being far more affordable, and with the Fringe on, a lot of free or low-price entertainment.

My nightlife was very busy albeit somewhat atypical in London, as I preferred to go to restaurants rather than pubs and clubs. Edinburgh was lively due to the Festival, although amongst the interns it was more subdued.

In the first few weeks there was not much, however towards the end of the internship period, there seemed to more networking events being held in London. This was not mirrored in Edinburgh though.