Group Functions Spring Analyst Review

The Barclays Spring Week has been a fantastic experience. Before beginning the programme I had a vague idea about Banking, but after spending the week here and gaining insight into several different divisions I have learned so much about the Bank and its operations and am now focusing on the specific areas I would want to pursue as a career. The Group Functions Spring Week has provided numerous opportunities for growth from presentations from graduates, interactive case studies and skill sessions to networking events with senior business executives. It truly has been an eye opening experience!

The Group Functions Programme definitely resonated diversity and inclusiveness, valuing people's perspectives and ideas. Since a lot of the discussions and sessions were very interactive, the interns were allowed to engage and provide numerous ideas. Barclays encouraged engagement and made all the interns feel very welcomed and valued in the company, which allowed for a more comfortable and productive working environment.

The Group Functions Spring Week provided a lot of guidance and support. Throughout the programme, we had several drop-in sessions from recent graduates and senior business executives alongside numerous networking events, which allowed us to get to know more about different divisions and the bank overall. The employees were very helpful and approachable in answering our questions, which made the experience really enjoyable.

The biggest thing I will take away from the Group Functions Spring Week was the emphasis of first impressions and developing interpersonal skills. Throughout the week we had several skill sessions helping us develop our networking, presentation and interview skills, which not only will assist with our degrees but have are of paramount importance for corporate life and beyond.

The Group Functions Spring Insight was very well structured. Every day between 9 and 6 we were kept busy with several events, which we also stuck to on time. In addition to this, Barclays set up an internal mobile events app for the candidates and employees involved throughout the Spring Week to get to know people and so people could have a look at the schedule. The programme was structured in an excellent manner.

The atmosphere during the Group Functions Spring Week was very exciting and enthusiastic throughout the whole week. Most of us had received offers a few months back and had met through the app so being able to finally meet everyone and to see how engaging and approachable the employees were made it a great experience. The Group Functions Spring Week changed my perspective about banking initially thinking it was a stern and corporate environment, however whilst it is a very professional environment the atmosphere was very calm, collaborative and energetic.

The whole objective of the Spring Week is to give first and second year students a thorough insight into the what the Bank does and help them direct their career paths. This in turn hopefully leads to further internships and a graduate job down the line therefore, Barclays heavily invests in personal training and development to all their interns. Opportunities such as presentation and interview skill sessions to networking events alongside work shadowing different divisions help interns develop and choose the right career path for them.

In the Group Functions Spring Week, we had several presentations and work shadowing with recent graduates and senior business executives. In particular the work shadowing with recent graduates really provided a great insight into the day to day responsibilities of an analyst at the firm and the type of work that the job entails. The senior business executives also revealed the diversity of each division and there really is something available for everyone.

The Group Functions Spring Week really helped in understanding the culture at Barclays. Aside from all the presentations and skill sessions, the people within the company and the interaction with them was the best indicator in the company culture. To see how kindhearted, genuine and passionate employees were about their work and the pride they had working for England's oldest bank was definitely resonated throughout the company and made the experience thoroughly enjoyable.

Each day of the Group Functions programme entailed new activities and areas of insight for the different divisions within Barclays. Each insight session was extremely informative in providing a general overview of the firm, however the work shadowing sessions provided excellent insight as we were able to see what exactly people do on a day to day basis and get a feel for whether this type of job was suitable for us. The overall experience definitely helped me to decide my future career path.

Candidates will get paid throughout this experience and can have their travel reimbursed throughout the programme depending on where you live.

There were several opportunities to network and meet other employees of the company. Firstly at the start of the week we were thrown into super speed networking sessions where we were able to speak to senior managers and recent graduates about their specific divisions and the work they do. In addition, in the middle of the week Barclays hosted a networking event after work, allowing the interns to meet graduates and senior business executives from other areas of the business. There was so much exposure given throughout the insight week and employees were also keen to meet outside of work and tell you more if you wanted.

The networking and social event opportunities at first may seem very daunting and scary, however genuinely they were great fun and very informative. All employees were engaging and willing to share their experiences with you and all of the interns were very enthusiastic so all in all they very fantastic experiences.

Yes. The graduates and other members of staff were very open to informing interns that there is a lot to life other than work. Barclays is a huge advocate for work life balance and this was really shown throughout the week as the employees, whether during networking sessions or work shadowing provided insight into social events, sports teams and other activities that were available to employees outside of work. There was a definite sort of family type feel amongst the employees since they weren't just co-workers but actually friends, which was really special.

I absolutely 100% would recommend the Group Functions Spring Programme to a friend. For anyone thinking of pursuing a career in Banking or the Financial Services, I’d highly recommend getting onto the Barclays Spring programme. If you worry about not having the prerequisite knowledge or a background in Finance before starting the programme, I would not let this deter you from applying. The programme really wants to see how you are as a person and how you engage with people, which will allow you to excel. The amount of insight provided about the company, the valuable life skills you learn and the relationships you build make it a truly amazing experience.