Assistant Manager Review

The first few weeks were slow of my internship, this was mainly due to me getting settled in and becoming more familiar with the software and work environment. However that period the work was enjoyable and challenging and I was able to work with my line manager to come up with work that we thought would add the most value.

I felt valued by my colleagues, was part of a small team so I think that may have helped as everyone knew each other on a personal basis. Furthermore, everyone in the team was approachable and friendly so that if and when I needed help with work I was helped.

Given more then adequate support by my manager. We used to hold regular meetings throughout my internship to check up on my progress and to receive feedback on the work that I was producing to incorporate into the next pieces of work that I will complete. Furthermore HR, would hold regular events to take part in.

This would really vary, at the start of my internship I found myself free for most of the day and just shadowing other members of the team. However as the internship progressed I started to get more and more work and would start working from 8am to 6pm on a number of days.

I felt that I was given the right amount of responsibility for my level during my internship. Being a intern I was not running the show, due to my obvious lack of knowledge, however for the work that I was doing I was given ownership of the tasks to complete.

The training offered by the bank is mainly web based and it felt like it merely designed to meet some regulatory requirements. However if you want to develop skills or train in a particular area this must be self driven, and for some people this can be hard if they are in a small team for example.

I was based in Edinburgh, Scotland, so the office atmosphere was very different from London where I also worked from. On most of the days the office was full of people. However, on Fridays often there were not that many people in the office with people opting to take advantage of the agile working and work from home.

I feel that the internship from my teams behalf was organised very well. My manager made it a effort to ensure that I always had work to do and made a effort to involve me in as many workshops and meetings as possible to help me get the most out of my internship.

Training given by the bank was mainly web based would have preferred it to be more like University where we are in lectures. This not only ensures that everyone receives the same basic amount of training but also allows the opportunity to network with individuals and meeting new people on the internship

Lloyds traditional held a exit interview after the internship to refer interns on to the graduate scheme. However this has been changed where now we have to take part in a assessment centre after the internship has been completed. This determines whether you receive a return offer from the bank.

All the interns on the emerging talent program in Edinburgh were placed in student accommodation together for the internship, so there was always something going on.

Edinburgh is a expensive place to live, however being from London I found the city very affordable however I understand that, that might not be the case for others whom are from smaller cities. With the bank paying for the accommodation over the summer this was another perk of the internship and made it highly affordable.

It was alright

Most days found myself doing something in the city. I think it helped that the bank put us up in a very central location which meant there were a lot of shops, places to eat and bars to go to after work had finished. However there weren't too many work related activities to get involved in.