Associated Relationship Manager Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement and the work associated with it with Lloyds Banking Group. The sector is something I wouldn't have considered without the internship and I am glad I have been given an insight into what may potentially one day be a career within banking, should I choose to do so.

My colleagues within the social housing & ECG team welcomed me warmly within the first week, and have consistently been supporting me with guidance and assistance when I have needed it. I feel the work I have done has been received well by my colleagues and my assistance helping with their tasks has been met with appreciation.

I feel I have had ample support and guidance from management, through weekly catch ups with my line manager to collate all that I have learned, as well as the guidance I have been provided by my superior in business development, whom has greatly helped me understand the banking world, by assigning me work relating to topics I have needed to develop, and always being on hand if I have queries or require further assistance.

On the whole I have remained fairly busy, however I have found that on multiple occasions there have been lulls in my workload that have led to me lacking in direction, or struggling to keep occupied. I have attempted to rectify this when it occurs by picking up tasks both for my department in Social Housing, in addition to assisting ECG, Credit & Global Transaction Banking, when I can.

I felt I was given a great deal more responsibility than I expected. I was allowed the freedom to make decisions on task assigned and proceed forward in my own manner, while getting the results desired as opposed to being restricted on what/how I could do something. I would definitely say in most instances I was fairly autonomous.

Aside from the banking aspect and the skills exclusive to it, other skills I have developed will be crucial to my future on the whole. I would say that timekeeping & routine has been my biggest development, and has enabled me to follow a consistent schedule throughout my internship, and I know that I will continue to follow this routine, and subsequently benefit from it, in my time at university and beyond.

The atmosphere within the office where I am is relatively relaxed, there is no tension, everyone works alongside each other to support them and overall there is as much work as there is downtime in which there is opportunity to socialise. This is something I have not experienced in any industry I have previously worked in, and is a welcome change.

Aside from the issues with security watchdog prior to the internship, that resulted in my start being delayed by several days the actual internship has been relatively well thought out and organised. There have been consistent progress reviews throughout the internship that have allowed me to stay on track, listen to criticism and ask for guidance. The issues I had with being based somewhere difficult to get to before the internship were also resolved quickly with a satisfactory result.

I feel Lloyds have definitely invested a great deal of training and development into me as I have come into an industry I had no prior knowledge of, nor at the time interest in, and will now leave my internship knowing a great deal more about the intricate natures of banking.

My superiors expressed interest in having me back for further internships over the course of my university degree, and the availability of the graduate scheme. I personally could see myself being interested in a career in the sector, and am satisfied that my work over my tenure at LBG will reflect well on me if seeking employment with them.

I cannot particularly comment on this, as most of the other students were already living in/around Birmingham, so had their own commitments outside of work, which therefore, compared to an internship further afield (where accommodation is provided) the social scene is perhaps not as varied or as consistent as I would have liked. That being said, within work, I cannot fault the sociability between us, and will come out of the internship making some good friends.

As I have stayed local to where I am studying (Birmingham) I would have to say that the cost of living is so-so, neither wildly expensive, nor particularly cheap. The cost of living has been varied depending on what that encompasses.

Birmingham, as a place I have spent much of my life, is the perfect place for nightlife given the wide variety of venues and genres that are on offer for nights out. I will continue to enjoy the nightlife as I have since turning 18 for many more years to come, whether or not I end up a state on a night out.

There were a few opportunities outside of work to get involved with, however these were few and far between and I would have preferred it if there was more outside of work for me to do, as my social life has been relatively in decline as university life has wound down for the summer.