HR Analyst Review

The placement was far from what I hope to do in the future, as I discovered that working in a huge office for a huge corporate business felt entirely disconnected from the real world. I felt as though I was a part in a soul-less machine. I gained valuable experience but cannot say that I enjoyed my internship at all.

My colleagues were very welcoming and those who I worked closely with did give me some good feedback throughout my time there. It seemed as though the work I had done was, for the most part, appreciated. The team in which I worked made sure that I was comfortable, and actually took me out for lunch during my last week which was very thoughtful. The other interns in my office were very friendly.

My main Line Manager was based in another city, so overall I only saw them around 3 times. Because of this, I feel that I was quite disconnected from who I thought would be my main port of call. I worked with two other colleagues, who quickly became the ones who offered me the most support and guidance, but I did feel that there wasn't one person in particular who was responsible for what I was doing.

This varied greatly - some days were extremely busy and these were the most valuable in terms of gaining experience. There were some days that required me to work late, but the work was engaging so that was not a problem. On other days, however, I would have very little work, particularly towards the end, and found it difficult to find any.

Very varied amounts of responsibility - I was responsible for the organisation of a networking event. Often, I would be responsible for sending out important communications with knock on effects. Other times, I would do a piece of work that I thought was important and it would not be used. So overall, the amounts of responsibility aligned with a piece of work differed greatly.

Hopefully I have acquired some transferable skills which I can take forward and use in my degree, such as communications and networking (main skill acquired), time keeping and conforming to office hours and regulations. I took training courses in safety and risk which are applicable to every type of work.

The office was very quiet and not particularly exciting. My colleagues were all very friendly and hardworking, so the atmosphere was comfortable. The other interns in my office were lovely and we met up often to discuss our charity fund raising challenges. The actual office was in a great central London location, and so the atmosphere outside of the office was brilliant.

The whole summer was very well set up. I was part of a scholarship scheme, and the communications with the organisers were smooth and easy. We were very well catered for in terms of accommodation, transport and information, which was all provided. Once within the office, the colleagues were all aware that I would be there and were helpful on my arrival.

I was required to take part in three online training sessions. We had two webinars on the workings of the bank. We had one big introductory session at the beginning of the internship where everyone was briefed on what to do over the summer.

There are many pathways into the business and some of them are made apparent during the internship, but I have little desire to pursue employment within the organisation. I can see how they would be appealing to many others, and I was working on the recruitment of new apprentices, trying to make the organisation look appealing, so I know that there are many mechanisms in place to make this happen.

yes - 60 of us interns were accommodated in the same building and so the social scene was brilliant - there were continuously events being organised and chances to socialise and meet others in the same situation. We took part in a charity challenge in teams, which created friendly rivalry and competition between all interns. Events took place both in and out of working hours and environments, linking colleagues with interns informally too.

Accommodation was provided by Lloyds Banking Group which was so brilliant, as it would be have unaffordable in London. Socialising was very expensive, as I was not used to London prices.

Being in central London, there is just too much choice!!!! we were very close to Shoreditch, Camden and Dalston and Hackney which were all great places to go out at night. There are clubs open all day and all night, so an endless amount of places to party and explore, and a great scene with many brilliant new djs and artists around. The friendliness of my fellow interns meant that we always had a good, although expensive, time.

Yes, there was plenty of time during the evenings and weekends to get involved in other activities. I visited friends, organised charity events and showed friends and family around London. A lot of exploring to be done.