Subject Matter Expert Review

I really enjoyed my summer internship with Lloyds banking group because I was given a number of different responsibilities as an intern. Everyone within the team was very supportive and welcoming and being involved in projects to make a difference was greatly satisfying. I also enjoyed the charity challenge we had to complete which gave a community feel to the place.

I felt greatly valued by my colleagues as they were very friendly and welcoming during my first few weeks. During the internship whenever I required help everyone was very supportive and provided me with feedback as well. I enjoyed working with the various members of my team along with going to meet members from different offices such as London.

During my first day my graduate buddy has planned a day for me to meet the team and get to know my role and the responsibilities within it. During the first few weeks I was given a lot of guidance and instructions, however as I became more familiar with the role and grew into my element I required less support and less guidance from management.

During the first few weeks of the internship I was still getting comfortable with my role and environment therefore it wasn't very busy and I often had to seek out work. However as the weeks went by, the days got busier as colleagues came to me for my assistance and I was involved in a lot more projects and even leading a few of them.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my internship, especially through the middle and near the end where I was leading projects on my own and even hosting my own live meets to explain processes. However initially this wasn't the case as it took some time for me to become accustomed to the role and therefore deserve greater responsibilities.

I developed a lot of skills throughout my internship and the training I received all helped me gain management, organisational and planning skills. These will prove useful during my final year of university where I will be dealing with a large workload and will often have to find a balance between my different modules and dissertation.

The general atmosphere in my office was surprisingly relaxed and calm, even though I was working on a large floor alongside a few hundred other colleagues. It was really fun especially within my own teams office as we collaborated with each other regarding work but also networked with each other and created a good mood amongst each other.

The internship was very well organised as I was outlined objectives before I had even started the internship indicating that planning had taken place prior to my arrival. My development was monitored on a weekly basis by my line manager and the workload was managed well as I got given more work through the weeks and not thrown into the deep end straight away.

The company invested a lot in me as an intern as I was allowed to explore different teams around Group IT along with different offices nationally. We were given weekly webinars regarding development and how we could fit into the company and its values. The company also monitored my performance on a weekly basis using a balance scorecard.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are extremely appealing especially considering you can get referred onto the graduate scheme from the internship. Speaking to the graduates they explained the wide range of benefits involved and just how much the company invests in graduates and pushes them to succeed. The mandatory qualification you have to take is also appealing.

There was a very good social scene amongst my fellow interns as we all lived in student accommodation, therefore we were very closely knit. We often scheduled events such as nights out, dinners or going for drinks in order to socialise, network and keep up to date with each other.

The cost of living was pretty cheap as there were a range of supermarkets nearby such as Tesco, Morrison's and Sainsbury's. Although the canteen at work was pretty pricey along with the washing costs at the accommodation. Socially the area I worked in was pretty cheap as you could go out for a decent amount, although we didn't go out much during the week.

The night life was really great as there were loads of bars and clubs to choose from.

There were many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work as I joined the gym after work and on the weekends went out. However as part of the internship we were also required to complete a charity challenge in teams and raise as much money as we could for children in need.