Finance Assistant Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement as I was able to get a real sense of responsibility and be in an actual working environment. All of my team members were very friendly and helpful throughout my placement and I have made many friends with the other interns. My work was very flexible and having a great team helped to enjoy my work especially when working longer hours than I am used to.

At first it was a little difficult to feel valued because of the lack of knowledge and experience, however after a few weeks I could feel how valued I was by the team and how sharing the workload really helped the team to get the jobs done, especially since my team was a pretty small team. I was given many tasks which shows how much they valued my help and everyone was always keen to help out if I needed it.

I was given sufficient support by my team members and regularly was asked of the work is okay in weekly meetings. All members are approachable in the team and are always free to help out if needs be. My line manager was always on hand to give me advice and do what he can to help me achieve my goals. To continue, I didn't feel like I was spoon-fed either as I was given many tasks which were difficult at first, however by using my initiative I managed to overcome it.

Each day would vary depending on regular meetings and ad-hoc requests. Generally I was never overwhelmed with work but I could always control the pace that I wanted to the work. Hence I could increase the work load of I felt it was too easy or likewise decrease my work load if it was too hard. This allowed me to achieve the right work-life balance and hence I felt it was not really busy.

I was given a lot of responsibility during the placement to get me out of my comfort zone. This really helped me to understand the business a lot more and make the most of my placement. I was given this responsibility after a few weeks and hence I did not feel really pressured to perform well as I got o see and learn how to do it beforehand. I was able to lead team huddles and problem solving sessions.

The Microsoft Excel skills I have picked up will help me throughout my career as it is something that is required in most jobs of the finance nature and hence will be a useful skill for the future. I have vastly improved my communication skills with team huddles as I have a greater understanding of what my team are doing and how important it is to know what they are doing. These skills can be used in any workplace.

The general atmosphere in the office was pretty good as everyone in the office including colleagues who were not in my team were very warm and friendly. Everyone is always available for a chat regardless of their ranking and it is always a good idea to network with the people in the office. Most people in the office will be working however, it is very social during lunch times and there is a lot of desk space to put all your stuff. The atmosphere is very chilled and relaxed overall.

The organisation was pretty well with regards to the transport and at the actual workplace however the organisation at the accommodation could be better with many people having to move flats midway through the placement. This did not effect me personally but I do know many people who were effected by this. This cannot necessarily be for LBG to blame but more the accommodation organisation itself. However overall on behalf of LBG the placement was well organised from my experience.

The firm invested a lot of time and money in me by providing trips to London, Edinburgh and Birmingham during my placement. this was usually to attend events. Also I was lucky to attend an away day. To continue many people in my team provided me with materials to help me learn more about 'service excellence' and provided me with my own laptop ton use during the placement. I was also given 5 paid holidays throughout my placement.

Future employment is very appealing with many graduate opportunities available that pay a salary above the average graduate salary. Also a lot of the time examinations are paid for and you get study days as well to help with the learning process. This is very appealing and materials are all provided by the company. Support is given throughout this process with other graduates who have gone through the same footsteps and can help with and advice or questions.

My fellow interns were all very social and always wanted to get involved an go out often for a variety of social activities. This made it much easier to get to know them and understand them a bit better and hence I enjoyed my time there a lot more during my placement. Most of the interns were very friendly and enjoyed a good social especially over the weekends an everyone was keen to make friends over the first few weeks. I know I will keep in contact with a lot of them.

The cost really depends on where you are from. Since I was living in the city centre in Leeds the cost was okay. It was similar to what I was used to, however if it was the likes of London, it would be more expensive due to its nature of being the capital city. Hence this allowed us to go socialising often in group while also not spending too much whilst doing so which is very important for a student like myself.

The nightlife was great. We had a few clubs close by and many bars around. Almost all social places had a bar and hence the nightlife was pretty good whether you wanted a casual drink or be a little bit more adventurous. We had a vide variety of options with a snooker club close by and many bowling and table tennis places of we wanted to go. We also had 3G football pitches near by if we wanted to go there too. Generally the nightlife was good with many taxis available during the night.

There were many walks and runs happening which you could get involved in and also take part in many volunteering opportunities. The Helping Britain Prosper challenge also encouraged us to do a bit more outside of work hours and hence this was a good chance to do activities outside of working hours for a good cause.