Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed my internship at Lloyds Banking Group!! Their corporate values (put customer first, keep things simple, make a difference together) perfectly matched with my personal attributes and the role itself was very interesting and engaging. Work-life balance and busy weekdays made these weeks pass so quickly that I couldn’t believe.

From the very first day of the placement, I felt valued by LBG and my colleagues. The internship program is well organised and LBG invests much to the interns. My colleagues were very helpful and approached me as a permanent member of the team rather than an intern. My relevant skills were recognised.

My main sources of support were my line manager and my allocated graduate buddy. I started communicating with my buddy a month before the start of my placement and he helped me settle in. My line manager asked me to book weekly meetings with him to discuss my performance and provide me with extra support when needed. So, I received plenty of support during my time in LBG.

I was quite busy during the internship. Working in a team of more than 100 people across different offices, tasks were always arising for me to deliver every day. Charity challenges, external events and platform learning were covering any small gaps in my daily calendar. However, I was not living the office after 5p.m. the most of the time.

I was given responsibility and exposure from the beginning of my placement. During the first weeks, I was invited to meetings with clients and suppliers in order to clearly understand what my team’s functions are. In addition, I was given the opportunity to participate and help in the organisation of corporate events of the bank in various locations across UK.

Working in Group Operations, I learnt how to manage people relationships and drive projects to successful results. The skills I gained will not only help me to perform better in my team projects at uni, but also to adapt fast in dynamic work environments. The training I received covered every aspect of the business, from retail and commercial banking to insurance and operations.

As I said before, the internship was well organised by the emerging talent team. First of all, they allocated graduate buddies to all interns in order to engage us with the bank. Then in the induction, which was really good, we participated in activities with the interns from our particular offices, helping us to meet each other and create teams for the charity challenge. The referral process, finally, is fair and gives interns a competitive edge to join the graduate scheme.

Very appealing!! The next step is the graduate scheme, which is consisted of three 8-month placements in different locations and teams across the UK. After the graduate program, graduates usually find a team that needs them and become permanent employees of the bank. Being employed by one of the biggest banks in the UK allows them to try many different roles to decide which fits them best.

LBG has arranged accommodation for the interns and scholars based in Leeds, Copley and Halifax. Thus, 40 of us were staying at a private student accommodation in Leeds. There were many nights out organised, as well as other events. So, every afternoon and the weekends were full of great stuff to do.

As mentioned before, our accommodation was paid for by LBG, so we only had to cover our nutrition, transportation and socialising costs. Considering that most interns were not going out until late on weekdays, and most of them used to cook in their flats, the living costs were not much. Transportation was a cost only for people working to the Halifax and Copley offices, while Leeds office was approachable on foot.