Business Development Associate Review

I really enjoyed my internship at Lloyds Bank this year. I got on really well with my team which made a huge difference and enabled me to get the most out of it. I felt I was constantly busy which helped to fill my day productively and prevent me from feeling bored.

I felt I did feel valued by my colleagues to an extent. I was able to help them when they were busy and my main research project helped them to some extent also. They always would help me if I asked and went out of their way to make sure I got the most out of my 10 weeks.

I had almost weekly one to one meetings with my line manager however they would frequently work from home which meant sometimes these would be missed. I did however feel that if I needed them urgently I could pick up the phone and call them. On the whole I felt my line manager was extremely supportive and keen to the best internship experience.

I never felt overloaded with work and so stressed however I felt like I have enough stimulating work to keep my occupied throughout my placement. This would only slightly fluctuate on a weekly basis depending on how much support my colleagues needed with their own tasks that week.

During the end of my placement I was given a substantial amount of responsibility. This was good as it stretched me and pushed out of my comfort zone. I feel it would have been good to possibly gain this level of responsibility earlier so I could have further developed these skills.

I currently study a science degree so not very much; I am hoping to keep up the early morning starts and more productive days however. Beyond I hope to peruse a job in commercial banking so for this reason the skills I have developed during my internship will be highly valuable.

There was a fantastic atmosphere in the office all the time. I have never worked with such an enthusiastic, fun team which is also very highly driven. Even at busy times there would be a positive feeling in the office and everyone had good relationships with one another. I will miss them all very much.

I felt the Lloyds Internship programme is really well organised. We were given regular emails before our internship which gave lots of useful information before we started. I also felt up to date in terms of graduate referral processes as well as next steps after we finish our internship; the internship contacts were also very responsive if there was ever a query.

I felt like I was given lots of training and opportunities to develop throughout my internship. I definately got the feeling that I was important to the company and so felt like I was invested in. We had calls during the first few weeks which I felt were very useful to my development however there were only 3 of these during my 10 week placement.

Very appealing, the company’s graduate scheme looks really good and enables you to try 4 different business areas in your stream.

I was living in my university house in Bath and commuting to Bristol everyday which meant I missed a lot of the social side due to most interns living in the accommodation given by Lloyds in Bristol centre. I did however find the social scene really good with my colleagues and had a few great nights out with them. I also had a great charity challenge team which was also very social outside of work.

The train to Bristol from Bath was not expensive at all. I would have preferred to travel by car however the traffic is renowned for being terrible which would have cost me more in petrol. Prices were not slightly less than London for food and drinks however still quite considerable.

The nightlife is really good, I didn't go out much during my placement but I have done lots of nights out in Bristol before and they have been great. There are also lots of bars and cool pubs for drinks after work, as well as great restaurants really close to the offices.

So many, unfortunately I didn't participate in all of them but if I really wanted to there was more than enough for me to join in with.