Personal Corporate Banking and Barclaycard Spring Intern Review

I really enjoyed getting a thorough understanding about the various departments of banking within Barclays.I personally found it great to shadow those people working on the Barclaycard floor. This is because I found that watching people in action and being in the environment teaches you something very different to what you learn in the classroom.

I would say that for large parts it was very ‘observation’ focused and was at times bit like being a bit in the classroom. What was great is, from seeing so many different areas and teams it gives you a good idea regarding what departments you would be most suited to, so in that sense it was a valuable insight. Furthermore, I enjoyed the fact that they gave us a lunch card and gave us the opportunity to eat in the cafeteria amongst the employees ( as if we were one of them) .

There were countless opportunities to ask questions throughout. Furthermore, there was decent exposure every day to the employees from HR, so any advice/support for the programme was readily accessible. The networking session midway through the week was really informative and inspiring. Chance to speak to graduates who have started from the spring week was also really helpful.

Many of the interactive case studies and tasks involved quick-thinking, teamwork and time-management skills; most, if not all, of these can no doubt be transferred to university studies and life in general. The skills I picked up were not only valuable in application to investment banking, but also skills I will use in all aspects of life. These skills would include professionalism and team skills to name a few.

It was well structured, with the first 3 days focussing on banking, markets and PCB divisions respectively. The last 2 days focused more on work shadowing, which really gave us a good insight to what they do on a daily basis. Furthermore, there were plenty of interactive sessions which allowed us to speak to current graduates and even current employees of Corporate Banking.

It appeared to have a good balance between social and work life, everyone worked hard but seemed to take opportunities to enjoy themselves as well. Especially during the networking event, it was great to see such enthusiasm from the current Barclay’s employees when discussing their current job role and what it entails; even when giving advice .

Seeing as it was a spring internship, I wasn't expecting a great deal of personal training as such however I felt that Barclays spent a lot of time in informing us of the skills we would need to excel there and how to improve those skills. The values were embedded to us each day .

The Insight widened my perspective of banking to a whole new level. I felt that I was fortunate to have had the chance to ask questions to senior directors and several other highly successful individuals . The networking event and the work shadowing sessions gave a deeper insight into their day to day lifestyle and made me to realise what a great environment it is to work at Barclays.

Beforehand I had done my research and already had an idea about the values and ethics of this company. But honestly, I have to say that Barclays is very unique. Everyone abides by the values RISES and embeds them into whatever it is that they do. What truly motivates me to want to work for Barclays is the fact that they help individuals to achieve their goals in the right way.

After all the presentations given from various experts such as from digital corporate banking to learning more about the global investments solutions , the networking sessions , work shadowing and from asking questions to the senior staff , really gave me such valuable information that I will not only use to help decide on my career path but advice that I will instill into my day to day life.

I lived close to canary wharf however I did have to pay for travel from my home to barclays and they paid me £250 to cover all the expenses during the week which was really kind of them.

I was really surprised as to how much networking barclays offered during the entire week , including the likes of the networking event , sessions with the current graduates on their rotation period as well as during the work shadowing where I was able to understand key details of how they deal with certain clients and the process of debt control etc. Advice was given to me throughout .

It was a very friendly yet professional environment, which made me feel very relaxed. Whilst speaking to the senior staff members, some were really enthusiastic which made it even more enjoyable to listen. Being a chemical engineering student trying to head into banking was doubtful for me but after having met someone in corporate banking who did an engineering degree made me feel more reassured,

YEs i found out that they can help with huge events such as ATP Tennis tournament , Rugby and football events . Some of these events sounded like it involved a lot of planning and organising,especially as there should be absolutely no room for error. No slip ups and the graduate who told us he helped in organising an event stated how stressful it was but that he enjoyed it thoroughly.

I would 100% recommend this spring insight week to anyone that is interested in a career in banking. I had some queries beforehand about what sort of environment it is like to work in,how they tackle certain situations in accordance with changes and also to get a better understanding of what Corporate banking actually means. By the end of the week I had a clearer perception of what career path i can take,