Intern Review

Really enjoyed my time there, much more than i thought i would. People were really friendly and the work I was given was challenging but manageable. Office environment was very relaxed and allowed small talk among colleagues to break up the work when bored. Working in the same office as other interns also meant there were people in a similar situation to talk to and socialise with.

The work I was doing had a real contribution to the bank and so I felt valued as an equal member of the team. Colleagues didnt ask me to make their tea or anything like that so maybe breaking the intern stereotype. Colleagues, especially the graduates who were really welcoming, spoke and interacted with me like an adult and allowed normal friendly conversations to help me settle in.

My manager gave me a lot of guidance, especially when unsure but also encouraged independent thinking and analysis. Colleagues trusted my work and weren't holding my hand the whole time but were always really happy to answer questions and support me where necessary. I could really dictate how much support I wanted and the trade off between independence and guidance.

It varied quite a lot, at the beginning I was quite busy and had a lot of informal meetings with people across the bank to try and gain an insight into their department and network with them. When work got busy for my manager, a lot of this was naturally passed on to me and so the times I was busy was similar to my manager's schedule. On the whole I usually had a lot to do and I could always ask for more work if I finished early - I had a lot to do but was never pressured into staying in the office late/skipping lunch breaks so there was a really good balance which was very positive.

There was quite a lot of responsibility as I was preparing work which would be used in meetings with senior managers and was being used in official reports which had a large impact onto the outcome. There were also challenges set to the interns which allowed us to run and manage some projects together with very little assistance from permanent colleagues which was enjoyable and also allowed us to socialise more and have more relaxed meetings to break up seeing senior people.

I wouldn't say I have gained huge skills which have stayed with me forever but I gained a very good insight into the banking world and how senior managers have got to the position they are in. This will probably be the most useful factor to take out of this experience and was great to just see what this line of work entails and whether it is something I would want to do full time. Skills I have gained would include how to interact with colleagues (especially senior managers) and the importance of being patient when doing work!

Very relaxed and friendly

Very organised

There was a lot for interns to do during the time. Workshops were set up to give us an insight into different parts of the bank. Some of these weren't sent round universally (as they would be oversubscribed) so you had to find about them through networking etc, Managers, even directors, were happy to give you 30 mins of their time to talk to you and they were always really friendly. There was a good amount of training considering you're only there for 10 weeks and don't want to spend the whole time in a classroom

Future employment prospects are very good and they are very keen to help nurture interns and young colleagues into future leaders. Unfortunately a lot of colleagues leave LBG into other companies (with higher salaries) so they offer many other benefits to help colleagues stay - most notably a much better work life balance and higher job security.

Drinks after work were common and were good fun - both with just the interns as well as with other permanent colleagues. Most team meetings (which happen quarterly or so) end up with people going for drinks in a bar - it's nice to be able to talk to your director over a pint!

City of London - quite expensive as you would expect. A fair few people are from/study in london so knew what to expect whereas it was a bigger surprise to other people. Not horrendous, especially when the bar is in happy hour for buy one get one free drinks but the tube is very expensive!

Nightlife is obviously very good in London as theres anything imaginable to do. Only problem is that this means everyone usually wants to go to different places and so people split up quite a bit. But the choice is there and can always be taken and nights out when everyone is there are really fun - especially if there are interns from other departments in a LBG wide event.

Quite a few social things like football etc.,