Transactional Buyer Review

I would say that I have enjoyed my internship with Lloyds Banking Group. The opportunity to be part of the workings of such a large organisation is not something you should pass up. The Bank is so large that you will see so many departments and roles which you may not expect to have seen. There is so much more to a bank than its branches.

I felt very valued by my colleagues for a number of reasons. First of all, the willingness to make themselves known to you and share their knowledge demonstrates that they place value in welcoming you in and spending their limited time to make sure you feel all right. Secondly, having been in the workplace much longer than many of us they recognise that you can contribute even if you do not fully understand the concepts. They will not hesitate to ask your opinion and whether or not they take it forward, at least you know that you have helped them out in some sort of way,

If there was a concern I knew I would be able to talk to my line manager and supervisor. Also when it came to learning about other work areas they were very supportive in this way. They either sanctioned or even set up meetings with other colleagues in the business, even some with members of senior management.

I was busy every day either with the work I was given or with meetings. Meetings could be learning about what other people do in their work area and how it impacts the department and the Bank, or conference calls updating colleagues across all sites in the department about changes and future plans. Even if you think you have nothing to do, someone else very well might need some assistance and they will greatly appreciate your help in that regard.

I feel that I was given a fair amount of responsibility regarding the work I was doing because the data I was updating was required to help other colleagues do their jobs more efficiently. Therefore if what I provided was wrong or not the most up-to-date information, then they would be wasting more time having to search for things that I was meant to have already found for them.

The skills developed during my time will very much aid my studies and past that stage. I have learned to be more efficient in the way that I carry out my work as I have become better at understanding what is expected on my part. I learned to not spend a vast amount of time making things look pretty to then be told that the supervisor wants a different layout. In this way I learned to ask more questions along the way so that they changes and inputs would be more likely to stick in the end. My degree will benefit from the feedback I received at the end of a presentation because I have learned how to improve the way in which information is displayed and how to keep the attention of the audience.

Everyone accepts that they are in a working environment which means there will be a lot of people wearing headsets or having meetings at each other's desks. As much as this is the reality there is still room to have non work-related conversations with your colleagues. As long as you can accept that you have a job to do and are not impacting on someone else's ability to work it is not impossible to have a chat while working on your spreadsheets and word documents.

On the first day there was a little bit of time spent getting me a desk and making sure my desktop was working. However later that week I received a brand new work laptop and a new headset for my phone. I was given a locker and it was easy to get office equipment such as a notebook, pens and highlighters.

As an intern only around for 10 weeks it is hard to expect to be shaped completely by your time. You can receive training courses if it pertains to the work you are given but you are very limited by time. Having said that you will get the chance if you ask to see different business areas which may pique your interest and skills more than where you may initially find yourself working.

Future employment is something that Lloyds very much wants for its interns. For example during the 10 weeks every intern is rated on a balance scorecard comprised of objectives given to them by their line managers. The interns fill out commentary demonstrating how they have completed the objective and the line manager does the same. Then before the end of the 10 weeks, for those coming to the end of their undergraduates degrees there is an interview with their line manager for them to get a referral onto the Lloyds Graduate scheme. Having spent some time already in the organisation you will see the benefits of working in the organisation because there is always the opportunity to move around in the business and seek higher positions. As part of the Grad scheme the participants will undertake a qualification paid for by Lloyds to become a Chartered Banker which naturally would put you in good standing for moving within the business. They also get different roles that can include moving around the country and managing different teams which improve your leadership skills.

There was a good social atmosphere amongst other interns and colleagues stemming from a number of things. For example as part of the intern charity challenge we were put into groups in order to raise the most money possible for Children In Need. In this way you would speak to and work with people you had not met previously and come up with good ideas for fundraising. Additionally in the Bristol office some interns were able to take part in the annual Pub Rally where employees were in teams with themed costumes. They completed different challenges in different pubs to win points for their teams giving them the chance to interact with people from different departments. Between interns we had some meals out together and went to the cinema a few times which was nice.

The cost of living in Bristol was not too bad. Luckily for interns living far from home Lloyds provided student accommodation within Bristol that was close enough to the office that we walked to work every day. If you needed to take the bus somewhere then you could purchase a student day ticket with your student ID. The student ID also helps in clubs for you to save money. Close to the Harbourside and Canons House offices are a number of bars which give a discount to Lloyds employees with their passes as well.

The nightlife in Bristol is very cool as there are so many bars and pubs. These places got very full during the Euros which provided an awesome atmosphere. There are a good number of club venues so you can try somewhere new every weekend. There are a few local festivals that are popular such as the Balloon Festival which is good for a drink and fireworks in the evening.

There were a number of charity events ranging from pub crawls to charity football tournaments. In Group Sourcing there is the Day 2 Make A Difference where employees spend a day out of the office to help out in the local community. Activities can range from painting rooms to mowing lawns and building fences in day centres.