Operations Intern Review

I enjoyed my internship to a very great extent.

I felt very valued by colleagues at all levels, from senior managers to other interns.

To a very great extent was I given support by my management. Not only did my line manager/supervisor support and guide me, but many others from other teams did too.

I was generally quite busy. But of course there were variations. But sometimes, I was not so busy.

I was given a high level of responsibility with my work often being the driver for the project.

The skills that I developed will, to a very great extent, help me for many years to come. The interpersonal skills that I developed will help me with my approach to my career and other aspects of my life.

The general atmosphere at my office was great. Though this cannot be said for all offices or even floors. I was somewhat lucky to be on the floor that I was.

My internship was not organised very well. Although, this is not at all a bad thing. This is a good thing. One of the best things that can be learnt during an internship is how business genuinely operates. This can only be learnt when there is no rigid organisation of the internship. Coming in and working on whatever comes up is the most true insight and this is most valuable. If there was a clear organisation to my internship, I would feel bored or restricted. It would also feel fake and not reflective of what working in the company is.

To a great extent did the firm invest in personal training and development. The internship team would send out bi-weekly/weekly emails regarding personal development. They would also host events like networking lunches. Although, these were not the most useful. The best investing that I got was from the colleagues. All that I encountered were willing to find the time to sit down and talk to me, answer my questions and ask me questions back. This was the case for less senior colleagues all the way to the most senior person in the office (even though they were way too busy).

The future employment prospects within the organisation is amazing. The internship can be used as a fast track for the graduate scheme, which is an amazing scheme. The scheme guarantees up to 4 placements in different business areas. After finishing the graduate scheme, there are many jobs in the bank that can be taken.

There was a great social scene amongst fellow interns. All interns are housed in one student accommodation. So the social scene was like uni again, which I loved. There was regular outings every week. This was not so much the case for colleagues. Although, I did have a great relationship with one colleague, where we would go out for food and etc. However, this was slightly unheard of.

The cost of living was ridiculously low as Lloyds fully pays for your accommodation. This means that the costs that you have to pay are food, travel and socialising. Depending on where you are, the travel can be negligible or even zero. I personally took the bus but many other interns were able to work. This was the case for my Edinburgh-based internship. However, this would almost certainly not be the case in London.

The nightlife in Edinburgh was okay, but definitely not the best. There were many clubs and club nights. Although, not were particularly amazing. It is also not the cheapest in Edinburgh either. There were many pubs, bars and food places. They were quite cheap.

There was many opportunities. With the Edinburgh Fringe (many comedy shows), there is plenty of shows to go to. There was also lots of food places, pubs, bars and clubs so there was many activities to do outside of work.