Assistant Manager Review

I have enjoyed my internship. 10 weeks is a good length to have a set project and see it through and feel like you have accomplished something. I was given multiple tasks that gave me a sense of autonomy and control. My colleagues are wonderful and friendly too which makes for a great atmosphere in the office.

As I had my own projects and work to do I felt that colleagues knew who I was and came to me if they wanted to speak to me about something. The work I did had to be checked and approved, but that is reasonable as I am only an intern and the work being published and used is important. Very lovely people.

My line manager was really good at asking me if I needed anything and helping to steer me in the right direction. If I was uncertain about anything she would support me in finding what to do. At the same time, she left me to do my own work which is important.

I was given a good amount of work to do. At times I would be waiting for someone to reply or for the next stage but I find something to do. The Charity Challenge that is part of the internship is a good use of hours that would otherwise be spent doing nothing at your desk.

I was given set projects which meant that it was up to me to organise meetings and liaise with the colleagues I needed to to get the work done. If something was going wrong, I had the support I needed but otherwise I was driving the project. I set my deadlines and timeline to get the work done in the 10 weeks.

I have developed my communication skills which are essential in my degree studies and in any work I do in the future. I think time management has also been a key part of my internship. This is an important skill to have for all aspects of life. Final year of university is very stressful and busy so having this skill will be very valuable.

A lot of colleagues work from home a lot so the office is very rarely busy. Fridays especially are very quiet...but I did get the option to work from home when I wanted to and make the most of the agile working initiative of Lloyd's. Colleagues are chatty but not always the most lively in the office.

The internship was set up well for me as I was given set work to do and was also asked during it to pick up a few bits and help support some projects going on. The Charity Challenge is a good way for interns to get to know each other and have some side of desk work to do as and when we have time, plus use time management to get money raised. There is a set 'Development Journey' that is training for interns to do to develop a few more business skills. Some of this is useful, some of it not so useful.

We are measured against set objectives and aims that we decide on at the beginning of the internship. This is good as it gave my line manager and understanding of what I think my personal development needs are and how she can help. The set intern development work is good. It highlights key skills and provides us a way of developing skills through learning videos and activities. Some of it was not so relevant to me but others were really informative.

It is difficult because it was not clear from the beginning what the referral process is this year. There is change happening and they did not come up with a plan for this before we started the internship. Only in the 8th week did we find out any information about how a Grad scheme will be offered to us. This disorganization does not make working in the company very appealing.

Living in one accommodation building is fun. It is easy to meet other students and socialise there. If you are not part of the accommodation, it is more difficult to socialise. The charity challenge means that you do meet a few other interns and it is easy to find a few that are working in the same building as you and go for lunch with them. Not many events organised by Lloyd's for all the interns though.

Cost of living is high all over London. In the city it is reasonably priced for London as there are so many chains that offer decent priced lunch deals and usually happy hours at the pubs. It is important that Lloyd's does pay interns in London a London living wage to cover the extra costs.

Great Happy Hours. The accommodation Lloyd's provides is near to both Angel and Shoreditch so it is great to go out. It is not cheap but it is fun. My colleagues did not tend to go for after work drinks as many commute from outside of London and have families.

Lloyd's did not organise any intern events. It would have been great to have facilitated the socialising more as there are so many in London that do not live in the accommodation. I felt that it was quite isolating too as there are so many different offices which makes it difficult for everyone to get to know each other.