Strategic Debt Finance Review

Work was very engaging and stimulating. A key aspect of the Lloyds internship is having many other interns working at the same time period and same region as you. This is very useful from a networking perspective as we meet lots of other interns. Accommodation is provided which is great.

Felt very involved with my team. they were very encouraging and welcoming. felt trusted within a short period and was frequently relied on to deliver tasks relating to client deals. Colleagues outside of my wider team were very friendly and engaging too. Felt comfortable speaking to staff at any seniority level.

Everyone was very helpful in answering questions and being approachable regarding work or outside of work discussions when they could find time. My line manager was based in another city which was quite difficult for specific project queries, however it was useful having my wider team based with me. They were all helpful where they could be. Had a PA contact who was very helpful for non-work specific enquiries (eg future employment, IT, contacting the right people etc)

When working on client deals I was very busy (working outside of 9-5 hours) however when not involved in client deals there was often times where I was not so busy. Overall the workload was good and my team were very understanding and helpful when managing expectations based on my current workload.

Didn't get too involved in the nuances of deals on this placement. Only at surface level. Often not involved in wider group meetings/talks which was detriment to my learning about the team. Nothing in my calendar re: team activity. Outside of deal work I was given a lot of responsibility on my project and was highly independent - my line manager trusted me to get on with things on my own which was nice.

Degree is science based. Excel knowledge was very helpful and wider knowledge of company financials etc which is useful in general life however specific knowledge isn't useful to my degree. beyond degree, however, my financial experience is instructive for future development opportunities and demonstrating a breadth of knowledge. Wide knowledge base is very useful and attractive for employers.

Atmosphere was quite dry overall. My team were very chatty however the office in general was quite corporate. poor systems and lots of beaurocracy. Interns made the place more lively and vibrant. Poor canteen and poor engagement overall (office is just for work - not fun). good music in the small café though!

Very poor. 1: no real choice of team, 2: hideously inefficient background checks from Pertemps, Blue Arrow and Security Watchdog. I would go so far as to say this would be a deciding factor in not applying - these three companies were drastically underprepared and left a LARGE number of interns with delayed start date because of their general incompetence and inability to carry out basic tasks. From Lloyds end, the placement was not too well organised either - no transparency of salary (markets get paid a different amount and this wasn't made clear from the start, neither was it explained why there was a difference in salary). had our induction event 2 weeks after the first day at the bank!!!! poor communication with Line Managers prior to start too.

Excessive investment in our own personal development in terms of development plans, Lynda.com subscription (this was very useful), excel training, powerpoint training, talks on different areas of the bank, shadowing opportunities, travel opportunities, induction events. there were lots of development opportunities which really differentiated this placement from others. I would say however that these at times left me with insufficient capacity to do work for my team as I spent most of it doing self-development courses, which is not ideal for team rapport.

A number of the graduate schemes for other departments (ie not commercial banking) were removed, and interns were only informed at the end of their internship, not prior to applying. this meant that some interns had huge prospects for applying to grad schemes and others had literally 0; purely by chance based on the 'luck of the draw' hiring process. in addition, the grad scheme appears to change each year which is not a reassuring sign of consistency but instead appears haphazard and worrying.

Amazing social scene, everyone very friendly, all intern put up in same accommodation, over 50 interns all at the same halls (very nice accommodation). based in Edinburgh - fringe festival on for 3 weeks, loads of free and paid shows to see, most stuff to do out of anywhere I've ever lived. come to Edinburgh!

Free accommodation provided by the group! Cost of going out and doing events was modest

Amazing nightlife, fringe festival clubs open till 5am every night, bars till at least 3am but some 5am too. late night comedy, range of clubs that are decently busy even being outside of student/term time. Most things within walking distance. Scotland is very good for nightlife on the whole, especially during the Edinburgh fringe!

So much to do! Fringe, by the beach, mountains to climb, comedy, clubbing, volunteering, tourist attractions. loads!