Communications Intern Review

I really enjoyed my internship, even though I was assigned into a field that I initially had no interest in and also no experience in, I was accepted with open arms and taught the skills I would need. I wasn't treated as an intern and assigned meaningful work such as creating a Hive team section that will be seen by everyone on the Mortgage Value Stream. This level of trust and experience is something that I have really enjoyed and liked working with.

I felt extremely valued by my colleagues. This is because of the trust that I was given. Being an intern I was given tasks that would be carried out by any other member of the team. This included contacting senior colleagues and organising events. I also felt valued through the feedback I was given on the work that I produced.

Due to working really closely with my line manager and other managers, I was really supported throughout. Any queries I had were dealt with promptly and advice was easy to receive. Working closely with them meant that I found it easier to build relationships with managers so it became easier to approach and have a conversation.

Due to being assigned large projects, such as building a team section on internal social media (Hive) that needed to hold 600+ people, being tasked with organising lab visits and ad hoc activities - I was kept fairly busy and had a many tasks to complete before the end of my internship. This meant on a daily basis I had a lot on my to do list!

I was given a lot of responsibility throughout my placement. This responsibility was given through the work I was given. Also, I was given a lot of freedom and trust throughout. For example working from home on a Friday. This level of trust provided by my line manager felt like I had a lot of responsibility to work the best I could.

As i worked in the communications team it taught me a lot of simple skills that i didn't have before. i learnt things that i did not notice about myself such as attention to detail and re checking work. i also learnt different ways to go about producing a written document, emails and other written artefacts that included the language used, who was being addressed and formats. These small things are applicable to my studies and will help me during my dissertation greatly.

The general atmosphere in my office is that its very open and anyone can speak to anyone. There is no closed off cubicles or offices that we cannot enter. The hot-desking policy that is followed has meant speaking to people and introducing myself to colleagues i would have never worked with.

The placement personally for me was that everything was set up upon my arrival. I had all the resources i needed to get going from day one. Recourses including laptop and software i needed were all accessible from when i started and throughout my internship. Also, we had a lot of communications from the central emerging talent team that kept us all updated with what was going on with our internship.

In terms of personal training and development, we were given a lot of introductory training to get us up to speed with the way LBG function and the rules and regulations we need to follow. However, i personally didn't have access to other training materials that would develop my skills outside of the working environment. Due to being here for only a short period of time that is not an issue, but it would be nice if we could gain a qualification during my time here.

Future prospects with LBG are very appealing i am looking to join onto the graduate programme after my internship and staying within the company. With the variety of roles available i feel that i can find the right one for me within the company. I am looking for something that has a mixture of technology and business and feel like with the new adoption of technology in areas of the bank, i will be able to find the right role for me.

We had communication on social media such as a facebook group and a lot of communication from internal social media through the Hive pages.

As i lived at home the cost of socialising in the area i work was a lot cheaper. Due to not having many living expenses i was able to save money in that sense. Also, i did not go out to socialise much so i was able to save money there. But buying lunch etc in the area i work became quite costly so i brought a packed lunch to save money in the long run.

Due to religious beliefs i did not explore the nightlife much in the area i worked. But walking through nearby markets (Borough Market) there are lots of opportunities to go out with friends and colleagues. there are a lot of pubs and social gathering areas that can be taken advantage of.

Yes, through the charity challenge set to us by the internal talent team, we were able to explore ways of raising both awareness and funds through external activities outside of work. whether this was going out and speaking to the general public or packing shopping for customers in a supermarket to raise money, there are many activities that can be done outside of the workplace.