Finance Intern Review

I have really enjoyed my internship and found it a lot more interesting then I first thought I would. Right from the start, the team made me feel really welcome and were more than happy to answer any question I had. This helped me settle in straight away. The work I was given was very varied which helped to maintain and increase my interest in working in Finance. I also got lots of opportunities through shadowing to find out about different areas of the Bank.

I felt very valued by my colleagues as quite often I was approached by different members of my team asking if I could do a task for them. All of the work I did had a purpose, none of it was just to fill the time. This made me feel like I was part of the team and I had a proper job role. They also always included me in conversations and social events that were going on.

I felt extremely supported by my line manager everyday. No matter what question I had, he would always answer it and if he didn't have the answer straight away, he would ensure to go away and find out for me. As well as this, I had weekly one to ones in which we discussed what I had acheived that week, what I need more support on and any other issues. In these sessions, I always got feedback on how I was doing and anything I could do to improve. I also was asked what I enjoyed doing, what I want to do more of or what I don't what to do again to help me progress and get as much out of the internship as possible.

The workload of the team I was in was quite ad hoc with only a few tasks that were regularly completed so therefore this meant that the amount of work I had varied alot. Most days, I felt like I had enough to do without putting me under stress however there were a few days, where I my workload was very small and I had times where I was sat not doing much.

I was given alot of responsibility in my internship, completing tasks that were very important and went onto senior people. I also had a fortnightly responsibility of preparing a pack, sending out meeting invites and writing up minutes of a meeting. This I did by myself with very little support which I enjoyed as it made me feel like I was part of the team, completing a job that needed to get done.

At the start of my internship, I knew very little about working in Finance however now, after 10 weeks I have learnt more than I ever thought I would. My team were great in getting me involved in a large variety of different tasks which really helped to increased the skills and learning I developed. All the skills I have learnt, no matter how small they are, are transferrable and will help me in future job roles. Also, as I am taking a few finance modules at university next year, the training I have had and practical skills I have learnt will benefit me greatly during these modules.

The atmosphere in my office was really calm and relaxed even though everyone is extremely busy and has lots of deadlines and stressful tasks going on. My team, along with all the other teams beside us are really friendly and chatty which put me at ease and made me enjoy coming to work every day. I would say hi to so many people throughout the day, even if I hadn't really spoken to them before. My team were always keen to get me involved in conversations and meeting as many people as possible which made it easier for me to settle in to the office environment.

My internship was really well organised by my team and line manager who clearly had planned everything for me in advance. When I first arrived, I had a desk, laptop, email and phone all ready for me. Although there were a few problems with setting up my phone and external email, this weren't the fault of my line manager and were soon sorted. Every day there were things for me to do and meetings for me to attend. I was dissapointed with the other teams lack of responding to my email about shadowing which means I didn't get to shadow anywhere near as much as I wanted to, not for lack of my line manager and my trying. My accomodation was paid for however there was a lack of communication about it. We only found out 4 days before the internship started when we could move in and what we had to take with us. Also, we had to move accomodation twice in 2 weeks which was not communicated by Emerging Talent, but through another Intern. Many of my emails were not responded to and we were never provided with a contact number so it was very hard to get hold of Emerging Talent.

I think the company really invest in the interns trying to ensure they get the most out of their 10 week internship. Although initially I wasn't too happy with being placed so far away, it really turned out for the best as the intentions behind it were good. They wanted to place us somewhere where we would develop and learn most and I feel very lucky to have been put in the team I am in. Throughout the time, they held a few webinars in order to help us learn more about Banking. These were really useful and helped me to understand more about the company. Also, the induction event was well organised, giving us tips on how to make the most out of our internships and also helping us understand our strengths and how we can develop these even more.

Lloyds Banking group offers a 3 year graduate programme in Finance of which appeals to me quite alot. This internship can lead you onto the scheme and offers everyone a chance to get a referral through your line manager reviewing how you've done over the 10 weeks and also by holding an interview. Throughout my internship, I was given the opportunity to talk to a few Finance grad students and was also assigned a 'Buddy' of whom I could talk to about anything. Talking to them made me realise how appealing the programme is as you have 4 placements in which you do different things to help you develop and learn even more. I think this provides even more insight into the Bank and would give a great view of a future role I might like.

Before the internship began, many people posted on the facebook group where they were placed and where their accomodation was. From this, one of the interns formed a group message which was regularly used. As there was such a big group of us, there was always someone wanting to do something every night which was great as it was nice to go out after work. Also, as we were in the same accomodation, this made it easy to socialise. Some nights we would just relax in the common room watching TV. We were really lucky to be in Edinburgh for the festival which we really made the most of! I went to lots of shows and to the Military tattoo with lots of other interns.

The cost of living was quite high which was to be expected, especially while the festival was going on. As Edinburgh is such a touristy place, I didn't really expect much less. However, I could not complain as my accomodation was paid for and in a really great location, right in the city center. Alongside this I was also getting paid a good wage.

Due to living right in the heart of the city, we were within walking distance to so many different bars and clubs which were all great. We quite often went to a bar after work so I managed to experience quite a few different ones! At the weekend, interns even more up for going out and wherever we went it was always good fun.

Throughout my internship, a charity challenge was run in which we were put into teams of 10 people and had to try raise as much money as possible for Children In Need. We had weekly team meetings with lots of other meet ups at the weekends and after work to carry out the fundraising events. I really enjoyed this as I got along well with my team and it was a great way to be social with the other interns and scholars. Also, throughout my internship there were a few team social events that took place. These were good fun to get to know the members of my team outside of work.