Assistant Relationship Manager Review

I don't regret my internship one bit as it was so insightful. Through this placement I've adjusted to corporate culture, learned how to survive a 9-5, and made some really good friends on the way. There was a lot of flexibility offered in the tasks you could do, and as I guess with most internships it is just a case of being proactive. The more you put in the more you get out.

The staff were very welcoming and always tried to make time if you had a request/question, first impressions were important and being warm /friendly even when out my comfort zone really helped in the long run with developing friendships. Initially some colleagues seemed sceptical of my contributions, but by the end of the placement I'd like to think I proved them wrong!

You are given support in the sense you know what you are doing, and if you encounter any difficulties outside of your own control I was always given support. Aside from this though, you were responsible for your own contribution and there was little to no micromanagement. This is really good for people who like to do things their own way and just touch base to make sure they are on the right track.

Again it is a case of how proactive you are. Due to the flexibility there was a lot of opportunity to help anyone in the office with most tasks they were doing. On top of this, throughout the internship one of the best tasks they included was a local and/or national project. This was done with other interns and really helped you connect with people around your own age. The great thing about having a project was that it could be used as a buffer to fill in gaps where you may find little to do.

Again, this is all based on proactiveness and desire to help. Being competent plays a large factor into how much responsibility you have. One of the examples of a task which I was responsible for was when I was assigned group leader for a local project, in which we had to prepare and present a presentation for all the Client Service Managers in the NorthWest. Managing this team was quite the challenge and it was very rewarding to hear that some of our recommendations could be implemented across the NW in the foreseeable future.

One of the best things to come out of this internship is an improved work ethic. Working 9-5, having other people rely on you, and actually earning money as opposed to just receiving it from grants makes you really appreciate how important hard work is, and the rewards for trying your best. On top of this, another valuable skill is being comfortable in a professional environment, as well as the ability to communicate in 'networking events' which I originally found very intimidating due to the 'fakeness' of it all

I'd say it was more a case of where you were placed in the office. When the workload got too intense people usually kept to themselves aside from asking the odd work related questions, but aside from that it was quite a chatty environment with people talking about personal matters such as the family, plans for the weekend etc. It was a really warm atmosphere and especially within some of the pods it felt like old friends/family. It initially felt intimidating to intrude on that, but as long as you are pleasant and respectful you wont' have any trouble slipping into conversations.

There was quite a vague structure but this was required to allow the flexibility to allow task variety. You did have to be proactive to sometimes get the ball rolling. But all in all you're just another brick in the wall.

Very large amount of time spent on personal development. Instead of sticking you in a cubicle and making you do grunt work, they want you to gain insight into the bigger picture of things, and let you go out on client visits, skills workshops around the country etc. They seem really keen to help you understand and learn as much as possible over the 10 weeks you work there.

It was made very obvious that if you are a competent and hard worker with drive that nothing can stop you moving up through the organisation. A prime example offered to us was Ben Auty (who was also on an apprenticeship/graduate scheme) is THE head of Client Services after only being in the bank for 9 years!

Lloyds do offer to pay for accommodation if the placement is too far from your address to travel, and they set you up in halls with other interns, this is brilliant as it really does result in making lots of friends who go out on the weekends etc. Sadly I was not in these halls as I lived at home, and at times you could feel a bit excluded, but again it's just a case of getting stuck in with the other interns and encouraging them to go out.

As my placement was based in Manchester, and I travelled from my home in Macclesfield, the train travel per day was around £10. Buying lunch out would be expensive anywhere, but there are plenty of places around Manchester to eat and drink for a reasonable price.

Based in Manchester which is effectively a student city, the night life is CRAZY but I didn't take advantage of it as much as I should have mainly due to wanting to save money or just get home to bed after a hard days work!

One thing which LLoyds wanted the interns to take part in was a charity challenge for Children in Need. This had us doing things from climbing Snowdon, to Bakesales, to Skydives etc. These types of things are a really good way to make friends and connections, and it gives you a reason to talk to other interns outside of work, even if it was just a case of your team making sure everyone is raising money.