Assistant Manager - Responsible Business Review

My internship was in Group Corporate Affairs (GCA) in the Responsible Business (RB) sector. Initially I really enjoyed my placement as my team were really nice and friendly and the work I was given was interesting and allowed me to learn more about the business (which was my aim of the internship). However towards the end of the internship (around weeks 6/7) I found that I was not given much work to do in my sector, so it got a little boring at times. I was, however, able to organise days at other offices and in other sectors which were really interesting and kept me busy too.

I feel that my team were really friendly and approachable and really valued my presence for the 10 weeks I was there. My official line manager was based in Yorkshire while I was in London, however he was always on call or an email away. The other colleagues in my team were really encouraging when I needed help. I was able to ask tonnes of questions whenever I felt confused or needed clarification. We also regularly had random little chats about various things in life while in the office which were really fun and made me feel like I was a true part of the team.

My Line manager and supervisors were incredibly supportive throughout the whole internship. They constantly checked in to see if I had work to keep me occupied or if I had any questions to ask. Although my Line manager was based elsewhere, he kept in constant contact with me throughout the internship, so I always had him if needed. My second line manager who is based in my office is always at hand to ask questions and provide me direct support aswell. I have had a few 1 to 1's with my line manager to discuss what I wanted to get out of the internship, and they helped me a lot in organising days shadowing other offices. They have truly been very helpful and have helped guide me along the path I wanted for this internship

There were some days where I was really busy, with meetings and assignments to do. However most of the time , in general, I had very quiet days throughout my internship. RB isnt a fast paced environment so for most of the time I would be completing research based assignments and quite often got bored with the work.

I was given some responsibility on a particular topic however in general I hardly ahd any. I was responsible for designing a user guide for an interactive map that our team were putting together. I had to think about how it would work and the user experience to create a little animation about how it would work and what the webpages would ideally look like. I had also been responsible for putting together a presentation that would be given to the Director of RB which included a timeline of events, the user experience guide as previously mentioned and other information. However aside from this I wasnt given much responsiblity in other areas or in other work compared to other interns I have met with.

I think I learned some skills that are essential for university and life in general such as team working skills and communication. I have also learnt how to organise events and manage teams through the Responsible Business charity challenge, which i am sure will greatly help in my degree and for future reference. The actual Lloyds mandatory training that I had to complete was insigtful and provided me with skills not just about banking and finance, but about safety in the workplace, colleague communication and other essential areas.

My office had a very laid back atmosphere despite being in the headoffice at 25 Gresham Street. This is mainly due to the colleagues working in the office. Everyone regularly chats with one another and makes jokes etc which add to the atmosphere making it very relaxed and enjoyable. Of course there are times when it can be quiet, especially when a deadline is fast approaching. However in general, it is a fun and lively office that I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of!

I think the internship could be better organised from my perspective. A lot of my fellow interns who are in different sectors had 1 big project that they worked on over the 10 weeks, as well as completing some daily ad-hoc tasks. On the otherhand, I did not have one main project, and was left to just complete random ad-hoc tasks whenever they needed it. This made me feel ike I was at loose ends a lot of the time and I dont think that I had used my time or efforts wisely, and I believe that I could have offered a lot more if given the chance.

We were given mandatory web-based training to complete every week or so which allowed us to come up to speed with all the mandatory rules, regulations and common practices here at Lloyds and in GCA in particular. We were also provided with 4 conference call training events targeted at the main 4 Lloyds values which provided a detailed explanation of how we can make the most out of internship. Aside from that there was no other external training offered.

I am not sure about wanting to work in this sector of Lloyds in the future. I feel that it is too slow paced for me personally. I feel that if I had a project and were a permanent member with responsibilities, I would enjoy working at GCA, however I have not felt that I would like to work here based on this internship alone. Having said this, I do still believe that working at another sector of Lloyds Banking Group may be a future employment prospect, possibly in the Digital sector on in Retail.

Yes there was a great social scene. There were lots of events with other interns, especially due to the Charity Challenge. There were open mic nights, pub crawls, club nights, dinner socials and many more, all organised and hosted by other interns. There are also opportunities to network with colleagues via networking sessions, panel discussions and dinner events. If staying in halls of residence, there are always things to do every night/weekend with other interns. Never a boring night here.

As I was based in London it can be really expensive to socialise on a regular basis. I lived at home, however if living in halls then it can be expensive. Cheap nights out can be found quite easily during the internship, especially with the charity challenge events.

Being in the heart of London, there is always something to do and always a club to go to.

Again, being in London, there are tonnes of opportunities to explore galleries, museums, parks, as well as participate in lots of other activities.