Assistance Manager in Group Corporate Affairs Review

I worked in Group Corporate Affairs on a two month internship. This is the fluffy side of the bank doing things that make the bank look good by giving back to the community. On a day to day basis I got on with the small projects I was given, attended meetings and had a lot of conference calls.

I developed my skills in communication, team work and time management. I also learnt how to act more professionally in an office setting.

I felt that the work was hyped up to be a lot more important than it really was. The work given wasn’t very extensive so I found myself asking for work a lot to no avail. When I took opportunities to use initiative and go the extra mile I would be shot down. Overall I felt that I was micromanaged and not allowed to use my ability to its full capacity. What got me through it was the other interns.

I felt like they wanted us to to succeed as a company but more generally the day to day staff weren’t very warm and didn’t seem to be that welcoming. I felt that (surprisingly) the senior staff were much more welcoming, pleasant and friendly and event directors were happy to take time for a coffee and chat.

The programme was overall quite organised. We got around two months notice of where we would be based and who our manager was, and if we needed accomodation this was organised on our behalf and communicated in advance. Travel was arranged by us and reimbursed by the company. The work was well organised but there wasn’t enough of it.

The role itself is more on the job based training from your line manager. Therefore the support came in the form of answering queries as they cropped up. The manager was quite receptive to this and was happy to give answers.

I felt quite supported by my employer where I had difficulties but there were times that I felt micromanaged in certain tasks. However when I faced issues at work or personally they were more than happy to help.

Salary is very competitive as accomodation was covered. My accomodation in Kings Cross was fully covered and so my £340 per week salary amply covers food and travel costs with plenty left over.

We are given a Chairty Challenge where interns are put into teams to raise money for the partner charity. Aside from this there’s networking events with free food and drink, and then dinners out which interns do together.

Yes

I think it is a good place to start in terms of opportunities to network, the availability of locations to work and the pay. However I would only recommend it as a first year internship as I don’t see great opportunities in terms of the general banking market; companies with a more global presence like HSBC or investment banks can offer better pay and more opportunities than LBG can. However the experience at LBG can be a great stepping stone.

Show your ambition to make a great career, an interest in working with other people and doing the right thing. LBG has a focus on intelligent and able people but don’t want people who have an aura of arrogance; they like genuine down to earth people from what I experienced.