Intern Review

At first I was slightly daunted at starting my placement. As I did not mention GCM as one of my preferences, or even know what GCM was, I struggled at first to grasp my role in the team. However, once I had my induction and spent a few days in the office, I really started to understand what GCM does, and more specifically, what GCM does within Lloyds Banking Group. The team has been excellent in making me feel comfortable, both in the office environment and in my work, and this has lead to an overall experience which had been enjoyable.

As an intern, you feel as if you won't be adding much value to a team that you join. However, this has not been my experience within GCM. From day one, the team has been welcoming and inclusive, and this is the first step to feeling valued. I was given work by my line manager which wasn't just sporadic, but a long project to work on over my placement. This has been a pleasure to work on, and I hope it will make an impact on the apprenticeship scheme over the coming year.

The whole team in change services have been amazing with support. My line manager has always been there to answer any questions I might have had. But the support didn't stop there. I felt like I could approach anyone in change services and ask for help, even those far superior to me, and this was reassuring.

On the whole, my days were fairly sporadic in terms of intensity. The nature of project management work meant that I could spend long periods of time trying to find things to do, as my work relied on other pieces of work coming in from other people. If I could change anything, I would have loved a greater work load, but the level was understandable bearing mind I was only an intern.

I immediately felt as though I was being given a lot of responsibility, especially just being an intern. My line manager told me that she wanted to give me a project so I could run it myself and see the outcome too. This was nice as it made me feel like I was in control of the project and was actually there for a purpose.

The number one benefit of this placement for me was the immense level of detail involved in project management. As I study a law degree, details mean everything to me. Being able to organise and scrutinise to the level of detail that the team in GCM do will only benefit me in my studies.

The people at work were probably the best part of my placement. This lead to an atmosphere that was highly concentrated, but also very willing to have a chat or a laugh. My line manager was very approachable, and everyone I sat with would ask me about my social plans, showing real care and interest.

The general organisation of my internship was very well structured. I was basically given free rein to organise my project as I wanted, but my line manager insisted that I draw up detailed plans before I started, giving me a concrete start, finish, and general timeframe to work around. This meant that I was able to deliver what I need to effectively.

In terms of training, I was given access to a fair amount of resources. As a member of the team in GCM, I had to undertake mandatory training in my first 8 weeks, which opened my eyes to the inner workings of a bank. I was also sent on a course, which was equally impressive.

As a Lloyd’s scholar, I have already been given a lot of background to the group before the internship. The internship itself has given me exposure to day to day work, so thinking of the future, a job within the group could seem viable. Having had a close look at the recruitment processes etc, the process seems robust.