Intern Associate Relationship Manager Review

I extremely enjoyed my internship at Lloyds Banking Group this summer. I was placed in the London Mid Corporate Commercial Banking Team which focuses on client relationships. This was great as it allowed me to observe how the bank interacts with clients. I also found that everyone at the bank was very happy to sit down with me for half an hour or an hour and explain their role to me. This meant that I got to meet lots of people from across the commercial bank, expand my network and gain a wider understanding of how the bank as a whole works.

Overall I did feel valued by my colleagues. Of course there were a few days where the tasks I was given did not make me feel particularly valued, but that is what you typically expect as an intern. The large majority of the time, I was given tasks that had real meaning and really added value to the team. This in term made me feel valued

I did not see my line manager frequently because she was based in a variety of offices. However, this was not an issue because we had weekly phone calls and stayed in touch, and the team I was surrounded by day-to-day were all very supportive and helped me out whenever I asked.

On a day-to-day basis I was busy. Apart from in the first week or so, I never had nothing to do, and in the middle 4ish weeks I was very busy and at times it was a little stressful but in general was very fun. I also feel I learnt a lot from this in terms of time management and performing under pressure. It also made me feel like I really worked there, rather than just being the intern.

I have completed a number of projects which I was given full initiative to carry out myself. One of these projects was a piece of real work (as opposed to an intern challenge) and at the end of my placement I saw it used by my wider team, which was really rewarding. In the later weeks of my placement I was also given a lot of responsibility in my day-to-day tasks

My degree is not related to banking so there is not much overlap. But, I learnt skills of networking, team work, leadership, research, analysing and more, which I'm sure will assist me with the rest of my university degree and be invaluable in my future career

Everyone is really friendly and chatty. There was always a buzz of conversation on the floor, both work related and personal. People are genuinely friends and this means that socials are common as well, which is great for creating the sense of being in a team. In general the environment was a pleasure to be in.

In general it was well organised. We had a number of projects so we always had things to do, and our IT was all set up before we arrived. There were some aspects that were less well-organised, e.g. the induction event was nearly 3 weeks after the internship started, and we did not hear about the graduate programme until late in the program, but neither of these was a major issue.

As I am on the Lloyds Scholars Scheme, I feel that Lloyds have massively invested in me. They have supported me through university and allowed me to complete two internships with them. They have also provided a mentor for extra support throughout university and prompted me to volunteering, which I believe has really improved my employability.

Future employment prospects are very appealing. The culture at Lloyds includes a great work-life balance, and that is very appealing looking into the future. The friendly atmosphere is also very appealing, as well as the fact that professional qualifications are offered on the grad scheme, so the bank continues to invest in you.

Yes the interns were all friends. Those living in the halls provided were especially friendly, but the fact that I was not did not stop me from becoming friends with them too. The different challenges/projects that are organised within the internship mean you are in teams with other interns and get to know them that way too.

Expensive but it is what you expect when working in the centre of one of the world's financial capitals. And, although it's expensive in London, you can still get a meal deal for lunch or bring your own food and save money. Also, lots of events were subsidised by the bank, meaning that interns did not have to pay. This was also true for team socials.

It's London so I assume it's good but I didn't go out

There were social events, e.g. a team trip to Lords to watch the cricket, or team drinks trips. There is also the commercial banking challenge, which involves all colleagues essentially having a sports day at the end of the summer. Activities such as this were very fun and people were eager to get the interns involved too.