Capability and Capacity Assistant Manager (Intern) Review

My 10 week placement at Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) was very enjoyable; I was given real responsibility and had the ability to make a difference within the organisation with the work I was provided with. The colleagues within my team, the wider business team and senior leaders were very helpful and approachable, all were willing to help me with my work and ensure I make the most out of this opportunity. LBG is a massive organisation, and I wanted to see more areas of the business, I was able to do this and visit areas across the business in order to get an insight into what I might like to have a career in.

Colleagues within the business are very helpful and are willing to help. I've had pieces of work which required me to contact different stakeholders across the group, and as I was an intern, many were more than willing to help me with my findings. The team I was placed within was fairly small but very welcoming.

I had two managers, one of which was my actual Line Manager; however, she was based in a different location. Another, I had day to day contact with every day as she was based within the same office. Both were very supportive in the work I had to complete and challenged me in order for me to think critically and outside the box.

I was very busy and not so busy during different parts of my internship. During the start, it was understandably quiet as I was still getting used to the work I was given and having meetings with colleagues to understand the business area. Once I thought I had a good understanding, I was able to take charge with the work I had been given to complete during my time at LBG, and how busy I was, depended on how I completed my work and if I chose to complete various projects simultaneously. Towards the end of my internship, I had started to complete a lot of my projects, resulting in me not having much work to complete. However, I was given more work once I had communicated this with my manager.

I was given a lot of responsibility and deadlines during my time at LBG. As it was a 10 week internship, there is only so much work that can be given, however, I believe I was given enough which required me to organise myself and my work as well as manage my time effectively. I was given three projects to work on, which had to be completed or worked on during my time at the bank. Although three projects may not sound like a huge amount, there was a lot to be done within the specific area. Once I started to understand the work I had been given, I was able to take control and lead each of them myself.

During my time at LBG, I was able to develop a range of skills such as time management, forward planning, organisational, communication and listening skills. These will help immensely during my final year at university. My degree consists of a lot of assignments and exams, and I believe forward planning, time management and organisational skills will come in handy. Proactively planning my assignments and revision periods ahead, and managing my time effectively will allow me to achieve the best grades possible.

My office was fairly relaxed and has a generic corporate atmosphere with colleagues on the phone, having meetings and typing away on their laptops. I was able to go up to people within the organisation and have a short chat at their desks and people were happy with this. Other LBG offices are lot more corporate, where individuals come into work with suit and ties, however, I think these are the colleagues who have client faced meetings. There is generally a relaxed atmosphere in most offices.

The internship was very structured and it seemed as though all information was cascaded out to all other Line managers so other interns had the same experience. There were webinars put in place for all interns within the first four weeks which aims to help interns make the most out of their experience in LBG and take away some of the skills learnt as well. Performance reviews were also carried out for all interns, ensuring each and every intern performs well within their role and meets their objectives during their time at LBG.

As mentioned previously, there were weekly webinars put into place during the first few weeks of the internship. These learning sessions are linked in with the LBG behaviours and values and the webinars aims to advise interns on how to act in certain situations, how to make the best out of this opportunity and ensure we have a great time. My managers were open to the idea of visiting other areas of the business, so I took this opportunity to visit different areas of the business in order for me to get an idea of what I might possibly like to work in. Senior leaders were more than happy to put some time in within their busy diaries to have a chat and I've done this three times during my 10 weeks at LBG. It was very interesting as each have their own stories of how they got into the position that they're in.

The organisation is huge, so whatever area of the graduate stream you apply for will allow you to move around in different areas within that stream. The graduate scheme lasts for 2-3 years, with three 8 month placements across the stream. This is more than enough time to get to know the organisation and understand what you like.

As I didn’t live in accommodation, I did not get involved in much social activities outside of work as I was not aware of them. However, those that do live in accommodation with other interns, I've heard it is very good. There are work events which are set up, especially through the charity challenge interns are working on. There are a lot of opportunities to meet interns in completely different areas.

Living in London will always be expensive, but the salary is enough to accommodate. The night life in London is great, especially if you go into the right areas. Transport is always available and now TFL has night tubes as well which helps. During the working day, social events are usually organised between interns.

Great