This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I enjoyed my time with Lloyds Banking Group for various reasons. I had a really nice and friendly team who made my life a lot easier, and I had great social time with the other interns on the same internship. It was hard work at times naturally, but overall it was a good experience.
As stated, my colleagues were very nice and helpful. I came in during a time when they were understaffed, so they needed my assistance during my internship. They trusted me with a decent workload and regularly caught up with me to see how I was doing throughout my internship. I definitely felt valued.
From the start, members of the team and my line manager made themselves wholly available every time I needed help. A lot of the tasks I had to do were foreign to me at first, but they were willing to walk me through them so I had that level of understanding.
As previously mentioned, my team were very understaffed when I came in due to recent departures and illnesses. Therefore I immediately was entrusted with a big workload which was continued throughout the internship. I also had a few intern projects which I had to do individually on top of this work.
I was given a lot of responsibility because my team were understaffed. However, I feel this would've been the case even if they weren't understaffed. They pushed me with the tasks I had and wanted me to learn a lot from the different roles and responsibilities they entrusted me with.
While I'd admit that there isn't much overlap between my degree (Economics) and the work I did - I definitely learned traits that should help me as I transition into my final year. For example my work ethic was at a higher level than in university and I'm hoping this will continue into my last year.
The Company
Can't say enough about my team. Despite the heavy workload we endured, the people were fantastic. They were, funny, laid-back and took a genuine interest in myself. The fun atmosphere made it so much easier during the harder times in the internship and they were a big part in my success during the internship.
In all honesty, there wasn't too much. There were online challenges they aske us to complete on internal websites which covered this development part - but most interns I spoke with ignored them. There wasn't any mandatory personal training days for the interns, which I would recommend as a good strategy.
Subsidised/Company Gym
The Culture
Absolutely. All the non-London interns lived in a student accommodation provided by Lloyds Banking Group and this was the go-to social hub. Even as a Londoner myself who wasn't in the accommodation, I was allowed to come in to socialise and it was the highlights of my weekends during the internship.
As stated, the accommodation was provided by Lloyds Banking Group free of charge, which is an excellent service most banks do not provide to interns outside of the area they are to work in. However, we were in London so naturally things are more expensive than most other cities.
The nightlife in London is unlike any other city or town in the United Kingdom. If you disagree, then I'd argue that you're doing it wrong. The nightlife is excellent and the fact many friends of the interns came down to London to experience it is a testament to that for me.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
August 2018