Analyst Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship with LBG, I have found it to be very rewarding. I've enjoyed the challenge of an individual project, it's been great to stretch my skills further. My team especially have been very welcoming and happy to help if it was needed. It's been a great opportunity to get a real idea of working life and working within such a diverse organisation.

As part of my internship I worked on an individual project, involving stress testing and sensitivity testing - I worked closely with 3 other teams, as well as my own. From taking their opinions on board and incorporating their needs into my project I felt as though the work I was producing was genuinely useful to others.

During my placement I had a line manager & a day-to-day manager, this system worked out well as it ensured there was always someone available if the other was busy. The level of support and guidance I received was exceptional and much more than I expected, my managers were very involved with my work and happy to answer any questions as and when I asked them. Not only did I receive support from management but I also found that my colleagues were happy to help with the slightest problem.

Over the 10 weeks I found that I always had something to do, I was never left trying to pass the time. There were obviously times where I would be more busy than others , but this was very dependent on what stage of my project I was at.

I was responsible for my own individual project regarding sensitivity and stress testing, I was given a lot of independence for instance with what scenarios I chose to run, metrics focused on, the way I chose to present my results. Despite this high level of responsibility there was also a large level of support when needed.

I feel as though I have learnt a lot at LBG over the summer, analytical and problem solving skills I will be able to apply to project work throughout my degree. I was able to refine my Excel Skills and develop my knowledge on linear regression and stress testing. From working at LBG I have gained a real idea of how banks work and I look forward to being able to apply this knowledge in my Economics degree.

The general atmosphere in my office was very friendly and welcoming, my team were very approachable and happy to help. I felt there was a good balance between being able to get your head down and crack on with work, but also it was comfortable enough to have a quick chat if you had any questions!

I felt as though the internship was fairly well organised overall. On my very first day my mangers and I discussed potential project ideas and we then narrowed this down based primarily my interests and what would be most useful to not only our team, but others too - this meant I was working on something worthwhile!

I expressed an interest in various programming language courses, however due to the time constraint of the internship it was difficult to pursue this further. Although, I did get a quick overview of the programming language and underwent various courses in Excel. It is evident to me that LBG invest in their colleagues in terms of personal training and development, many of my colleagues attended various courses and were booking for future courses whilst I was there!

The future employment prospects with LBG are very appealing, especially within the Graduate scheme. It is a great opportunity to learn more about the different areas of LBG and how they integrate together. LBG has a fantastic culture, which is apparent throughout the business - it is precisely this that stands it apart from other organisations, for myself.

The social scene amongst students and colleagues was great, I feel very fortunate that my team also were very sociable! There was no shortage of activities to take part in, for instance I took part in bowling, badminton, rock climbing, country walks, nights out, drinks after work, dinner & lunches etc!

The cost of living and socialising in Halifax/Leeds was very reasonable, especially in Leeds there is such a variety of places that it caters to all budgets. This is great for those that are on a budget and for those that are wanting to spend a little more!

I was based in Halifax and along with other interns I lived in Leeds and commuted into work. Therefore I didn't get a chance to experience the nightlife in Halifax, however the nightlife in Leeds was great - a huge choice of bars and clubs!

There were many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, for instance my team goes bowling each week. We also organised various activities such as rock climbing, country walks, badminton & the usual dinner & drinks!