Lloyds' Scholar Review

Great work place culture, it was a relaxed and friendly environment. The work was varied with a range of projects and there was numerous opportunities to undertake shadowing or networking events. Some projects made a significant impact on team operations whilst others not so much. As to be expected there was a multitude of spreadsheets (where aren't there nowadays).

As above everyone in the workplace was warm and welcoming, with many taking time out of their day in order to talk to you regarding their work/specialty upon request. However due to the limiting time period of the internship (10 weeks) it is difficult to carry out meaningful work for every colleague in the surrounding team. Those whom you did collaborate closely with valued your input, time and effort.

The assigned supervisor during my placement had a more independent engagement approach to work. The manager encouraged developing your own understanding of the team and surrounding areas, aspects of the projects and contacts. Regular catch ups and drop-in sessions were organised or available to everyone within the team. The manager was there if you had any concerns, queries or if you needed any guidance regarding projects contacts etc.

From the outset of the placement to the mid-late stages of the placement I was significantly busy. This was primarily due to several project deadlines and collaboration with other colleagues before holidays. The latter stages of the placement I was not as busy due to finishing projects and getting them signed off. However additional projects were also assigned to me keeping me busy.

I was given significant responsibility throughout the placement. This comes from a variety of projects and the work that they entailed. I was independent in my work, yet responsible for project outcomes and collaboration between colleagues. Some projects held significant value to the team both in the short and long term.

Due to the nature of my degree area there is limited skills developed and relevant training received. However networking and developing SME (subject matter experts) contacts are invaluable skills to any career/degree area, even if I usually go on PubMed for information. Then there is the usual answers communication, teamwork/collaboration, presenting at meetings etc. The mandatory training, specifically internship focused ones are very time consuming and are made redundant by the sheer amount of it. What could be done in 5-10 minutes is made into an hour or more. However there is extra non mandatory training with courses covering a wide range of topics from coding to software usage. This is of significantly higher quality and useful for "upskilling" (they love that buzzword).

As mentioned previously the environment was very warm and welcoming. In part due to the widespread "dress for your day" policy. The office could be relatively empty on certain days with absences and people working from home. However most days there was a significant part of the wider team in the office, even though many are spread over various locations, which made the office quite friendly with a few jokes being thrown about .

The internship was quite well organised in terms of scale. Numerous locations and areas available across LBG. They also provided suitable accommodation for those whom were placed outside reasonable daily travel. The organisation of the individual placements can vary form manager to manager, however all possible placements have a manger that is not only willing but generally enthusiastic to take people on.

LBG invests a significant amount of resources in personal development and training. The highlight of this would be the assigning of a personal mentor. There is frequent training and personal development courses that you are also made aware of. Some of which may be a bit time consuming and not very concise, could be condensed.

There is a significant number of future employment opportunities in LBG primarily via the extensive graduate programme. As for how appealing they are, there is numerous company benefits and a decent graduate starting wage. Parts of the group may suit you very well and others not so much, the difficulty is getting into your chosen area.

There is a relatively good social scene between those on internships/placements primarily due to a large proportion of interns being put up in the same accommodation (student accommodation usually, may depend on location). Most interns/placements are of people the same age.The other fact being that the placement location is in London.

The cost of living in London is well London. There is a separate pay scale for those working in London. This however may not fully compensate for the price of food and drinks in London, especially if you are going out. Socialising can be pretty expensive depending on the activity but there is some cheaper options available.

London there is always things to do.

There is many charity activities and events that colleagues in LBG help organise outside of work, a good way to get know people. Otherwise London always has plenty of activities available for those who look for them. There is no aspect of placement work that should hold you back from participating in them.