HR Assistant Manager Review

This internship was a lot better than I expected. I thought I would be just doing things for LBG but actually they did loads for me too. I happily came into work every day and was never in a rush to leave because the work was so varied which meant I was never bored. I enjoyed this internship so much that I am really hoping to get accepted onto the Graduate Programme next year,

Mostly, I feel valued because colleagues were extremely kind and happy to help me out because they know that in the long run that will enable me to produce better work for the company. I feel that I could have been given more work to do as I am a fast worker and sometimes I found myself taking work on separately, whereas my line manager could have utilised me more.

I believe that support and guidance was readily available for me whenever I needed it. Unfortunately, my line manager was not based in my building so it was difficult to get time with her, but there were loads of other colleagues who were there for me.

I kept myself busy but a lot of that was down to me finding things to do and doing extra work. The work I was actually given to me didn't take too much time. Some days I would be rushed off my feet (which I loved!) and sometimes I'd have to go in search of things to do.

I was given much more responsibility than I expected, which was a good thing. During my placement I organised a volunteering day for my team, including very senior colleagues, and all of the feedback from that was really positive, apart from that I shouldn't have asked any questions and just got on with it! So they gave me free reign there. I also produced several reports that seniors will look at and I chaired a manager meeting.

The skills I have gained here are extremely valuable. I have learnt how it works to be a colleague in a big company, and I've got so much more of an insight than I could ever have got just from speaking to people. The training was fantastic and I have learnt so much. I hope to stay with LBG but even if I can't, I will use what I've learnt in other jobs.

Everyone in my office was really friendly. I was always included if anyone went to get hot drinks or food. The only problem I had was that I was involved in a Charity Challenge and I wanted to do a baby photo competition. There was no obligation to pay or play, I just wanted the photos, but only one person brought one in for me. I'm not a big do-er of charity myself normally, but I just thought a bit of co-operation would have been good. Other than that I got on with everyone really well. Maybe they're just sick of charity stuff!

I was very well-informed before my arrival but I was given the wrong email address for my line manager so was unable to speak to her before the placement. It didn't really matter as we met on my first day and everything was explained then. I was told I would get a laptop and blackberry as part of my placement and I never ended up getting them. There were occasions when they really would have helped, such as when I was out of office and therefore couldn't access my emails.

The vast majority of colleagues that I tried to get hold of got back to me really quickly and were happy to have a chat with me or let me shadow them, no matter how busy they were. Some even came into my office (where they don't usually work) and gave talks to our group of interns. The training on the LBG Intranet is extremely useful and I also got a Chartered Bankers Award whilst with LBG.

From speaking to other colleagues, I have found out that opportunities are always available in LBG. Colleagues tend to climb the rankings fairly quickly and are able to move around different divisions rather than just the one they started in. I would love to do the Graduate Programme, roll of into a permanent role and continue my career with LBG.

LBG offered us free accommodation with our paid internship, which I thought was amazing and unbelievably generous. We were in student halls near the city centre of Leeds and there were about 30 of us. We all went off to work in different offices every day but the social life after work and at weekends was fantastic. I am so sad to leave everyone but I know loads of us will stay in touch.

As part of the internship, accommodation was free so I can't complain at all there! Socialising was fine too. Students expect things to be ridiculously cheap but realistically, Leeds is probably below average as far as big cities in the UK go.

The nightlife was fantastic. I go to university in Nottingham which is renowned for arguably being the best city for nightlife, so I know what a good nightlife is, and Leeds isn't too far behind. You can go out any night in Leeds and it'll be busy, vibrant and reasonably-priced. There are options for all tastes too, with countless bars and clubs with different themes.

I got involved of lots of activities outside of work but they weren't anything to do with work, if that makes sense. So me and my intern friends did loads of social events and activities but work hadn't led us to that.