Summer Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Barclays. I have learnt a vast amount during my time with the company and built a great network. Barclays has encouraged interns to network with those outside of their business area which enhances the amount taken away from your time at the company. The work has been challenging but there is always someone there to ask if a problem comes up. The reason this is 8/10 and not 10/10 is because, initially, I found it difficult to connect with my team, although once I became proactive in going and introduce myself to people, I realised establishing connections works both ways.

The contribution I made to my team was definitely valued by my colleagues, as outlined in their feedback. I was able to work closely with people outside of my direct team during my internship, although this is unique to me. This enabled me to add value to different areas of my wider team and also helped me to develop relationships with others.

My line manager was excellent and had my best interest in mind, although this will not always be the case. I was able and encouraged to network throughout the organisation and my workload was tailored to allow me to do this. I was given weekly feedback regarding my performance which helped me be able to show growth throughout my experience. If there was ever a problem, I was able to notify him in confidence.

Day to day it varied however the workload was always manageable. When I did not have much work to do, I would fill the time sending emails to senior members of the business. If I wanted more work to do, there was always something I could help with as long as I asked to get involved. Although at times, I did want to be given more work to challenge my abilities and my time management skills.

I was given an okay amount of responsibility. Coming into any company, there is a limited amount of responsibility that you will be given, especially initially. Due to the nature of my internship and switching teams every fortnight, it was difficult to be responsible for a piece of work from start to finish. However, I was able to get involved in extracurricular activities that compensated this.

I think the skills I have developed during this internship will stand me in good stead for the future. Many of the skills are transferable regardless of what industry I end up in. The training given to me will give me an advantage in both my studies and the future as I will have a greater understanding in those areas.

The general atmosphere was often mixed. At times it would be relatively quiet and at other times it was livelier, although nothing like the trading floor. I am an extrovert so much preferred it when it was livelier, however the quieter moment allowed me to complete any work that needed finishing.

Whilst being on the internship the organisation was good. There were plenty of learning sessions with people from around the business and a few organised intern events outside of work. However, coming into the scheme, it was a lottery as to which part of the business you would join. I feel this could have been made clearer as many people did not receive the business area they wanted.

To begin the internship, we had a couple days of training which was good. It provided a general overview of macroeconomics and brought us up to date with current events. There were also online courses which had to be completed by the end of our internship. As an intern, I think opportunities to train and develop are limited but we had enough opportunities.

Very appealing. Due to the size of Barclays, there is bound to be a job you enjoy within the organisation. Added to this, being at a bugle bracket bank, increases your appeal to many other employers within but also outside of the banking industry. The values that Barclays adhere to are evident in the vast majority of their employees, making it an excellent place to work.

Definitely amongst the interns. There was always a group going out and I was often out at least twice a week, whether that be dinner, football or clubbing. With the team the opportunities were limited as many have other commitments/ families to go home to. However, the football talk was always interesting.

Expensive. London, as a city, is expensive, especially going to university outside of the capital. However, the salary provided by Barclays, although not the largest, was still more than sufficient to cover this cost. If you can, stay at home and commute. The cost of socialising is extortionate as well but once again, the salary will take care of this.

The nightlife is excellent. London has so many options and caters to a wide variety of preferences. There are plenty of pubs and bars around. If you venture outside of Canary Wharf there are even more options and plenty of restaurants and clubs to enjoy. One of the hardest decisions is what to have for lunch!

Not from Barclays. However the interns were proactive in creating a football team and organise matches against the grads and other intern groups. There were extracurricular activities to get involved with during the internship but these were still within the walls of work. There were, however, plenty of things to get involved with.