Transformation and Capability Assistant Manager - Cards Acquisition Review

Initially when I was told that I would be working in Credit Card Acquisition I didn't realise I'd be working on fun projects, with plenty of variation and find myself a role that I'd be happy in for a long term post. The team are really friendly and the work is so varied that the time passes really quickly.

I was in a very small team but the people I worked with valued my input and did everything they could to further my development. There were a few colleagues based in different locations that could have responded better when I reached out to introduce myself but for the most part everyone was dedicated to getting to know me and working together to reach positive outcomes.

I have regular 1-1 meetings with my Line Manager and can ask questions whenever I am unsure on something. He definitely wants me to try and complete things on my own before asking questions which is a good way to learn and improve - also showing what you're capable of.

You can be super busy or go through some periods where you have to find work to be busy. The internship does allow you to have 'side of desk' work which you can complete when your day to day role is quieter. For example the Charity Challenge can take up a lot of your time if you wish to put the effort into that area during less busy periods.

Given lots of responsibility as my manager has an attitude to try it first and ask questions later. I have surpassed what I thought I was capable of in a lot of areas and that is from being given real responsibility and a chance to prove my worth at every opportunity.

Working at LBG has opened my eyes as to what a company with a good culture can be like. All colleagues I have come across are friendly and will do absolutely anything they can to help you and further your professional development. I have improved my Excel, Powerpoint and Word skills and that will come in extremely handy in my third year of study. My presentation and interview skills have also been improved by doing presentations to a variety of different stakeholders.

Friendly, happy and open. Many of the interns have likened my particular office (125 London Wall) to be google-like which is cool. It has lots of different collaboration spaces and pods where you can grab 5 minutes if you have a call or want to relax with a view. The offices are quieter on Monday and Friday which can be nice to have a really productive beginning or end to the week.

It would be good if you were given a laptop at your induction event. I know some interns had their laptop given to them on day 1 whereas others had to wait until week 2 which isn't ideal. The induction event was fun and it was nice to meet some of the grads on the first day. Many of them had followed similar paths that I would like to take so being able to ask questions was a great start to the event. We got drinks and nibbles in a local bar too afterwards which was a nice touch.

No formal qualifications but I think this could be difficult as the placement is only 10 weeks long. They definitely invested their time into furthering your development with regular upskill sessions and networking events. They took us for a tour of a flagship branch which was great to see and meet some of the colleagues who work with our customers on a day to day basis.

I would 100% love to come back and work for LBG post study. There is an opportunity to be referred on to the graduate leadership programme which is a great way to end the internship and shows your value to the company. I truly believe that because of the strength of the companies positive culture that I could get a role in any area and be happy it.

The accommodation they provided was in a really nice area of London - in Islington within walking distance of my office which was outstanding. The rooms were on long corridors rather than in separate flats so it was sometimes hard to get to know people. My team were really good in terms of social stuff, for instance they all attended the pub quiz I organised for the charity event which was a nice touch, as I know interns in other areas really struggled to get any engagement from their teams.

There were no rent costs as the accommodation was provided completely free - even included bedding and pots/pans etc. Living in London is obviously an expensive place to live but as the office was within walking distance that really cut down on travel costs on the whole. The main costs were food and drink which are slightly higher but nothing out of the ordinary.

My office was in Central London so of course there was lots happening there. The area we lived in was Angel which has a buzzing nightlife and is a great place to be at weekends - also has excellent transport links so anywhere in the city is accessible from there.

Yes, lots. The interns and grads regularly organise events for the Helping Britain Prosper Charity Challenge which vary from pub quizzes to football tournaments so you can definitely find something that suits you. A nice idea could have been to have a halfway point drinks event for the interns where the bank just book a room out for us all to get together. This is because most of the interns just split off into their small friendship groups early into the placement so it would be nice to get together and see some faces that you met at the beginning of the internship.