Intern Review

I enjoyed my internship tremendously. Everyone I worked with was consistently welcoming and supportive, and I was given some fantastic opportunities to work in Edinburgh and London and to gain the valuable, enjoyable experience of working as part of an excellent team in Edinburgh. I also greatly enjoyed working and socialising with other interns from all over the country.

My colleagues were all delightful people and always went the extra mile to support me in my work and make sure I had meaningful, challenging tasks to complete. They were always friendly and encouraging, and made sure to check regularly that I felt valued and challenged, and they very much valued the support and work I delivered, and looked for every opportunity to help me engage fully in valuable work as an integral part of the team.

My management team were always looking to give me every opportunity to learn new skills and apply them in ways that reflect my own ability and personal development. They were always available for advice and support, regularly checking in to see how I was getting on and if there was anything they could do to make my work more meaningful, more manageable, or more challenging. They consistently supported me in growing and enhancing my own ability and confidence, and were always wiling to give up their time to guide me and get my feedback on my internship.

Colleagues regularly asked about my workload, checking that it was manageable and that I felt I had enough to do. Even on very rare occasions where I had completed all of my work, my colleagues and managers were always quick to ask if I was available to complete another task, and though these were challenging they never proved overwhelming and always seemed as though they were genuinely supporting the work of the team.

I was entrusted with a number of tasks which were integral to maintaining the efficiency of the team's work and to maintaining a reputation of reliable and consistent support among our clients. For a number of important skills and activities I was given comprehensive and effective training, before being fully trusted with the task in hand and assured that my colleagues were confident in my ability.

The skills I have learned on my internship will no doubt greatly improve my confidence and ability in engaging with my degree studies, whether this from an organisational, motivational, or precision perspective. Further, the training I have received on my internship will be almost universally applicable and highly useful in the vast majority of modern working environments, and will help me to develop my own career prospects and abilities immensely.

Everyone was always very friendly and helpful. All the colleagues I worked with were committed to making my internship as enjoyable as possible, and the managers were always keen to organise fun activities around the office, whether these were as simple as dress-down weeks or bigger events like olympic-themed competitions and prize giveaways.

My accommodation was all taken care of by Lloyds Banking Group and I was never unsure of where I needed to be or what I was supposed to be doing. Managers and colleagues had a very clear vision of the kind of development they wanted me to get out of the internship, but were still very open to input from myself about the skills and tasks I wanted to focus on.

I was required to complete a number of online training courses upon beginning my internship, the vast majority of which focussed around developing skills and understandings which are vital to success in almost every workplace. They were also committed to pointing me towards the kind of training I thought I could benefit from, listening to my feedback and personal goals, and giving me advice on how best to achieve them.

Working for Lloyds Banking Group would certainly be an excellent experience with ample opportunity for personal growth and the development of skills and ambitions which would prove beneficial on any career path. While I don't want to rush into any major career choices immediately post-graduation, any offer to work in Lloyds Banking Group would definitely be a tremendous opportunity.

Almost all the interns stayed in the same accommodation buildings provided for us by Lloyds Banking Group, which meant that organising social events was extremely easy. We all became very friendly with one another within a matter of days after meeting, and we regularly went on sightseeing outings and took full advantage of being so close to so many of the venues at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.

Edinburgh can be very expensive in a number of places, but this is to be expected given that it is a capital city. Lloyds Banking Group paid for our accommodation, and our weekly pay was enough that I never worried I might not be able to make it to the next pay day, but there were still points where I noticed the high cost of eating or drinking out, or even just paying for food and other essentials.

Edinburgh has many places tailored specifically to students, and these did not disappoint. While some venues were still quite expensive, the vast majority were very reasonable and made for some very fun nights out. The Fringe festival also provided ample opportunity for nightlife, with things like music acts, beer gardens, pop-up bars and clubs, and outdoor shows becoming regular fixtures throughout August.

Lloyds Banking Group required us all to take part in a challenge to raise as much money for charity as we could, and this led to regular out-of-work activities organised by interns, such as quizzes, sporting competitions, nights out, and charity collections. Outside of the charity events, there were also a number of activities revolving around the acts at the Fringe, as well as regular events like pub quizzes and team sports.