Intern for Commercial Banking Finance Review

I really enjoyed my placement at LBG. The tasks given were varied and interesting and the support network was brilliant. There were loads of opportunities outside the day to day work to get involved with and they actively encouraged as much exposure to other parts of the bank as possible.

One of the best characteristics of Lloyds is the culture. I was definitely taken by surprise by how friendly and welcoming the whole team were, everyone always has time for one another and I think this played a key role in making the internship so enjoyable. People always made time to think about what I could assist on and add value and supported me through the process.

My line manager, team manager and everyone else were incredibly friendly and were always willing to give guidance and support both formally and informally. I had regular sit downs with my line manager to see how I was getting on but I could always ask him or other members of the team informally if I needed any support or to ask any advice.

Business varied throughout the month as it did for the rest of the Finance team which gives a good insight of what a career would be like in this profession. Some times I was very busy assisting different members of the team to meet deadlines but never really felt overwhelmed as the support network is so good. Other times are slightly quieter but I normally had other underlying things to be getting along with. If I had nothing to do, everyone was happy to let me shadow them to see what their job entailed.

I feel as though I was given a really good amount of responsibility. I was not overwhelmed but at the same time felt as though I could add value. I contributed to finance related presentations that were delivered outside the team along with other contributing tasks. I also was asked to arrange a volunteering day for my team so I had a number of varied responsibilities to keep me busy.

The placement gave me a brilliant insight into Finance in a real world sense. Finance at University is very different and now that I have had this experience

I was surprised about how friendly and welcoming the office was. I could not have asked for a better team in that respect. Everyone was so friendly and made the time to see what I was up to and get me involved with their tasks as much as possible. If ever I was struggling or needed support with any task I felt as though I could approach anybody in the office. This meant from the outset I felt relaxed and confident and this really added value to my experience.

I think that as Lloyds Banking Group takes a fairly large number of interns nationwide this meant that they were very organised when we all joined. A full intro day was initially given at a conference centre for all the interns to meet and be introduced to the bank. Before the placement myself and my line manager had been emailing so I knew the process for when I joined which made my first day at the office easier. I was taken through what specific IT I needed to order for my laptop to get started in Finance related tasks.

My team were very keen to develop my understanding of finance related tasks and processes in relation to the bank. I have learnt a lot in regards to a broader finance sense as well as specific to the banking sector. Members of the team would always make time to offer feedback and training on skills such as IT and presenting. Many of the team were also keen to help me gain exposure to the right people so I could impress and then get referred to the grad scheme.

I would love to secure a graduate position with Lloyds Banking Group. They offer the Finance grads the opportunity to sit either the ACA or CIMA qualification and offer a 3 year grad scheme that gives graduates a chance to rotate around the business to develop rounded Finance professionals. All the graduates on the scheme that I have spoke to all genuinely enjoy what they do and the variety of roles within Finance that they can get involved with.

Yes. Lloyds put interns in groups to charity fundraise and so you get to know all of them and it was quite common to spend time with them socially. The team also socialise outside work which I also got involved with.

My placement was in London so naturally the costs of socialising were higher. In terms of living, I stayed at home and commuted.

The nightlife is very good however also very expensive as it is in central London.

There was a good amount of opportunities to get involved with outside of work and the office encouraged interns to get involved with this. For example, to raise money for charity the office hosted an indoor sports day.