Relationship Support Analyst Review

The internship has been really enjoyable due to the fact that I have learnt new things everyday. In the beginning it can seem daunting when you are given quite a few tasks, but once you get started the information and how to do things comes easier than you think. Its amazing to meet new people and thats what makes it more enjoyable. The only downside is tiredness; as a student I have never been used to early starts, late finishes and long commutes, but its something you'll adjust to.

I feel highly valued by my colleagues. I was lucky to be put into such a welcoming team; everyone is so friendly and the office environment can be fun at times, which is needed. There are certain things I had hoped to do before I joined the team, like go on external meetings, and those higher than me invited me along to a couple straight away which I was not expecting. I didn't really get the chance to take on loads of tasks by different people within my team due to having my main tasks to complete, and not having access to all the systems, but my colleagues definitely respect me as much as I respect them.

My line manager has been a great source of support, and pointed me in the right direction when setting my objectives. I could always go to them if I had any questions and met with them weekly to discuss how I was getting on. A lot of my objectives were also set by a graduate on my team and the support from them has been brilliant despite the fact that they are extremely busy. They always check over my work and make sure I go above and beyond my objectives.

I would say that days are usually quite busy, you shouldn't find yourself sitting around much doing nothing. It's important to remember that it's up to you to shape your own internship, and so if you find yourself doing nothing you should be planning your own meetings or looking for areas to improve your work/improve systems. There are quite a few HR planned events to attend weekly which may take an hour out of your day meaning you have less time to get tasks done, and so may find yourself working past 5pm. However, the hours are not ridiculous, you can easily work 9-5 as long as you're getting everything done. The working culture in each time is completely different. I enjoyed being busy all the time and able to sit on my laptop and get on with tasks so I didn't feel useless within the team.

Some of my objectives included updating a training package for other colleagues and updating a website, which I would say is quite a lot of responsiblity to give to someone who hasn't worked in this area before. However, I feel like I was able to complete these objectives without too much difficulty and therefore add value to the team - its important to the team to have updated websites for others to view, so they are grateful for this. At the same time, interns don't usually get access to all of the computer programmes that the rest of the team uses, that may contain more confidential information, and therefore the responsiblity level isn't great as interns aren't allowed access to everything and nothing seems too daunting.

I think the biggest skill that I have developed whilst working for Barclays is communication. I have realised that networking with colleagues across the organisation has been one of my favourite things whilst working for Barclays. Good communication skills will be useful for everything else I do in the future, and have given me greater confidence also. Whilst here I have also learnt about website modification and more advanced skills on excel, which will definitely be useful to me as I continue my studies, and hopefully in my future career. Everything I've learnt here will definitely greatly help me as I pursue my career in finance.

The atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed. Everyone in my office typically worked 9-5, and people only worked overtime when they were really busy, and knew that it was necessary. You are able to plan your own day and go out to meetings when you need. All of my team are very friendly and seem to know each other really well. Its been really fun getting to know my team and have a few laughs, and thats definitely important in a workplace.

The organisation prior to the internship was excellent - all interns received many emails telling us what to expect, what documents we needed to send in, where we'd be and what times we'd start. The first few days of training were useful, but quite long, and unfortunately we weren't separated into 'corporate bank' or 'investment bank' so you wouldn't know exactly who you were likely to be around for the remainder of the internship and weren't exactly aware how many worked in 'corporate' for example. Many talks by directors across Barclays were arranged by HR and these were really good. However, a lot of the events organised at the beginning of the internship seem to be planned last minute due to the fact that we were only told about when and where we should be for an event, the night before it was on. My line manager was also not made aware of the events I'd be going to in the first week, and so it was a lot of guessing as to what times I'd be in the office at the beginning.

Barclays invests a lot into the interns. Loads of 'meet the director' talks and networking events were organised for us, and they really help you get a better understanding of the organisation as a whole and where about you think you'd like to work, as well as getting a chance to network. The training at the start of the internship was somewhat useful as we learnt about balance sheets for example, however, a lot of it was based around compliance within Barclays. Barclays really wants to see their interns do well, but for much of the internship it is up to each individual to plan their days and shape their own time here in order to make the most of it.

Future employment prospects at Barclays are very appealing. The graduate scheme is something that I'm sure all interns want to get a place on, as on the graduate scheme you get to do three rotations over two years, meaning you get to try out three different areas of the organisation. Also at Barclays, it is clear that you are able to work your way up as long as you put the work in, as well as move across the organisation if that's what you want to do. It is not an organisation where you can only work your way up to a certain point and work there for the rest of your life - there is a lot of room to move about and that's why it's so appealing.

The social scene amongst fellow interns would have been better had we been split into our different banking areas on the first day/for training. I worked in corporate, and would've loved to have known exactly how many interns were in corporate and where we were all based on the first day, so that we could plan getting together, instead of going round and meeting new people as the weeks went on. It's great to continuously meet new people, but I found it strange that they might have only worked on the floor below me and I didn't realise. However, all interns are extremely friendly and everyone seemed to get along, and a lot of different whatsapp groups were made where we planned to meet for lunch or after work, but there were so many as there were a range of people across different sectors in the bank that happened to meet on the first day. It would have been good for Barclays to plan a social event for the end of the first week, as this would've encouraged all interns to go and we could have got to know each other quicker. It would also be good to have a mid-internship social event (and I'm not saying any of this would have to be subsidised at all as I'm sure we would've all been happy to pay). There is an end of internship farewell social event however which is very good.

The cost of living in Canary Wharf is very high, as expected in London. I was able to commute from home meaning living expenses weren't as high for me, but I know that other people who rented in London had to pay out a lot of money. Eating and drinking out in London is a lot more expensive than in the rest of the country. However, the social atmosphere around Canary Wharf is very good and bars are busy every night despite the prices. Luckily the canteen at lunchtime is subsidised so that's one thing not to worry about.

The Nightlife in Canary Wharf mainly consists of going to bars around the earlier, which are obviously expensive as this is London and a wealthy area. As far as I'm aware there isn't a clubbing scene around the office, but many interns go out to Shoreditch or Soho on the weekends and Greenwich isn't far.

There are a few sporting activities that interns can get involved with, but it all depends on timing. A volleyball event happens every year outside Canary Wharf but the teams had already been put together by the time the interns started. There is a community objective as part of the internship, and that gives us the chance to work with a charity outside of Barclays. Teams also carry out socials say 4 times a year, but again it depends on timing as to whether you'd be able to go to these - if you are invited then definitely go along.