Intern Review

Overall, I do not regret taking this internship. The experience had some bad sides but also some very good ones. I really enjoyed the working environment and this was an opportunity to meet diverse people, to see what they are doing, and to an extent get an insight into what I could do as a Lloyds graduate or employee.

I felt valued by my colleagues, especially by those with lower grades in the bank. As I worked in a large office ( up to 100 employees just at my floor), I got the chance to meet the majority of them and to get to know well some of them and collaborate on a daily basis. By the mid of my internship people knew me and started asking me questions (how they should deal in some situations, where they can found the people that could help them in a particular matter).

My line manager was absent for almost the entire period of my internship. This manager has a high level of responsibility and being always busy, the direct subordinates (lower ranked managers) took over the task of coordinating my activities. I expected a close collaboration with my line manager - the chance to shadow and to help directly with some tasks. This did not happen and it is my biggest disappointment in regards to this internship. I had only two meetings with my manager and communicated by emails for the first three weeks despite of having our desks at the same floor. I did not get the chance to meet the main managers or the key personnel in my building, so this was another negative aspect, as I did not get valuable networking opportunities. Fortunately, the line manager's subordinates helped me with accommodating in the office, presented me to the colleagues and were the point of contact every time I needed something. Final score: 2 for my line manager, 9 for his subordinates.

The first two or three weeks I felt completely bored. In the first week I was excited to get to know everything about my role and my division. After shadowing, meeting people, learning the systems and processes I started to get bored. I even completed all the Operations online modules that Lloyds has on their 'Discover learning' platform. I started to ask a lot about tasks, how to get access to different programmes that could help me in doing some long-term (10 weeks) projects and it was still useless. After that, I received some tasks and with effort from myself, I managed to fill in my time (9 to 5 felt depressing).

To be honest, I still do not understand why Lloyds takes so many interns, paying for their accommodation, traveling costs and a sufficient salary if they are not using us for enough real work during this 10 weeks. It seems like a considerable financial loss for them taking into consideration that many of us will not even go into their grad schemes. The benefits they are offering are great, but the manner in which the work is organized is not. When applying for a banking internship I did not expect to sit around for hours and look over emails, to chase people to receive tasks and to do jobs that other people do not want. Watching the fast pace environment of my office I realised really early that some of the projects that I was supposed to do were not going to be implemented or had minor impact in helping the office - the projects were created to fill in my time. After finishing them I started asking people for real jobs, that could actually ease the work of my colleagues. I received some and I am grateful for this as they helped me have a relatively productive period for the second part of my internship. Some managers started asking me when do I have to leave and complain about having to do again those tasks by themselves.

My degree studies are not related to the financial sector so this is quite N/A. I think the internship is a great work experience that future employers will appreciate. I did receive sufficient training and guidance for my role. Colleagues in my office were really helpful. I do not think that what I did during these weeks helped me gain/develop major skills, as I did admin jobs. As bad as it might sound, I felt overqualified for the nature of the tasks I had to do (e.g. printing documents, introducing data in the database).

The atmosphere in my office was amazing. Everyone was really polite, helpful, opened-minded, and modest. You did not feel stuck or nervous when speaking with colleagues in higher ranks, as everyone acts normal. The nature of the work in my office requires a lot of team work so anyone feels free to go to the first person they see and feel they might help them in critical situations. The open plan office with many desks at each floor gives you the atmosphere of a busy office whilst still being highly sociable. People bring different sweets, types of soft drinks, foods and share it with their team colleagues. Even managers bring stuffs that are shared around the office. When is someone's birthday, the person's desk is decorated and cake is served with close colleagues. There are dress-down days, like every Friday and another day a month.

The logistic part was great - the travelling, accommodation, pay. When it comes to the schedule, the nature of the work I had to do, it was not so great. I did not feel challenged enough.

I cannot argue I was contributing substantially, making a difference, learning valuable things. It was a 9-5 job in which you were stuck to do for 3 months. People are great but the work is limiting personal development.

I would not mind working for the company if nothing better appears, but definitely trying another role and division. Lloyds has a great work-life balance and offers a great working environment.

All the interns received accommodation in the same building and social media helped us get together easily. There were many nights out, events. Everyone was really nice and so everyone who wanted had the opportunity to make friends easily. I had other interns working in my building so we had lunch together, travelled to/back from/ work sometimes.

Edinburgh is an amazing city and cheap compared to London. August was the most amazing period because of the Fringe. Definitely recommend this city as it has so many pubs/bars/restaurants with great prices. As the accommodation was provided and the transport is cheaper than in London, the pay was enough to leave well, go out and enjoy the city.

Overall, the city has many choices to offer depending on budget/preferences. We also got central accommodation so it was really easy to get to Princes Street, Royal Mile and other points of the city just by walking and cheap if taking a taxi.

There was a Charity Challenge at which interns are participating in assigned teams. Otherwise, I am not aware of anything.