Summer Intern Review

I have enjoyed my time at Lloyds Banking Group. My colleagues have been extremely kind and welcoming, and always have time to answer any questions I have. Coming from a non-finance background I was very nervous about joining, however my nerves were put at ease within a couple of days.

For myself, I have felt valued by my colleagues when I have produced a high standard of work. At some points during the internship, I have not had any work to do, so I do not think that my potential has been reached. I believe that I could have delivered a lot more value to the team if I had been given the opportunity.

During my first week in the internship, my line manager handed me over to another member of the team (an associate) and I have spent the remainder of my time at Lloyds working closely with them. I believe I could have used more guidance at certain points in my internship. For example when I had completed all tasks given and ask for more, I was not given anything to do and had to wait several days for a new task.

On a daily basis, my levels of business varied a lot. For example if there is a presentation due the next day then I am busy, however other times I have nothing to do at all. I have filled my spare time with looking at resources on skillsoft and networking with members of other teams.

Again, my level of responsibility varied hugely throughout my internship. I feel like I could have handled more responsibility, but being placed in a team that is very busy - often with urgent tasks, there isn't always time to explain what is happening and allow an intern to try it out.

During my internship I have greatly improved my networking skills and presentation skills. Before joining Lloyds I was a very shy person and wouldn't usually take the first step to network with someone new. After only a couple of weeks speaking to new people and learning about their areas of business, I am much more confident. In regards to my presentation skills, this is something that I have to regularly do as part of my degree so being given the option to do this at Lloyds with a new team and on a topic I was not as familiar with was great preparation for returning to university, and for future presentations.

In the office, the atmosphere was always great. Everyone was always very pleasant and constantly willing to help with any questions that I had and explain things to me until I fully understood them. Everyone seems to get along really well and made me feel welcome to the team instantly.

Overall the internship was well organised. All of the different components of the internship were communicated efficiently and any questions asked were answered promptly throughout. There has however been a lot of confusion as to how to apply for the graduate scheme once the internship has ended. It hasn't been communicated well and myself and other interns are quite unsure as to what different components count towards a referral/ what process needs to be undertaken etc etc.

The company has taken a lot of time to ensure that I have developed. Alongside all of the mandatory training, there are also a lot of other resources available that can be used. These include skillsoft and discover learning along with simply asking team members any outstanding questions. I was also given the opportunity to visit other Lloyds offices to participate in networking sessions and also the Bloomberg offices for a training session.

Future employment prospects within Lloyds are very appealing to myself. The reason for this is not only the nature of the work everyday, but the constantly changing and challenging environment and the warm and welcoming members of staff. The internship so far has been awesome and I hope to be able to return on the Graduate scheme.

As most of the summer interns in the cohort were situated at he same accommodation - within walking distance from the office, it made it very easy to enjoy a social life outside of the office. it was also great to be able to meet friends of a morning and walk to the office together.

Lloyds Banking Group provided accommodation for the summer interns during the summer which was within walking distance of the office, so accommodation and travel costs were eliminated. ASs the accommodation was located in central London, socialising and eating out with friends was very pricey - even the local shops were considered expensive. Average cost of living in the area was around £100 per week.

In the area I worked, the team/ friends usually prefer to go to the pub or for a quiet drink after work. There were plenty of options nearby for this and some were at a reasonable price.

During my internship there were plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. This included meeting other interns and going to the movies or out for dinner and also participating in sporting events with my team. Another big part of the internship was the charity challenge. This offered a great chance to meet others from different areas in the bank and take part in tonnes of activities to raise money for MHUK.