Summer Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my internship, in overall. The working hours in Banking are crazy, so there were indeed tough and stressful times when work had to be delivered to tight deadlines. But I learnt a lot and met a lot of great people in the firm. There were many networking events that was well organized, and there would always be a HR rep to keep in touch with if you have any problems.

I was able to contribute to the deal teams I was on, sometimes by helping out on mundane tasks that analysts are too busy to do, or sometimes with actual modelling or analysis or presentation preparation. Regardless of the type of work given, I was happy that they kept me busy and I was able to see that my input was valued and included in the final outcome. The worst thing about an internship is when you feel very bored and that you wasted your time - but this is not the case at all at Barclays. My colleagues appreciated and valued my work as well.

I worked very closely with analysts and associates - and they were the ones who provided me with the most guidance. They were very helpful and would explain concepts and instructions to me - some more so than others, but this is natural - and therefore I would always clarify anything I'm unsure of with them. They were approachable and friendly, and I did not feel that I was scared to ask questions. We also worked well as a team. The seniors (Directors, MDs) were often too busy to provide extensive guidance, but this I understand. I would go to an analyst for help if direction from seniors were unclear.

In my 8 weeks here at Barclays - I was extremely busy. I was staffed on multiple projects and deals, and have learnt how to prioritize and stick to deadlines. I have been involved in various types of projects across different industries, and so the work has never been dull. The M&A working hours were slightly overwhelming, but it is all part of the nature of the industry. I had to work very late nights during the weekdays, up until 3am sometimes, and had to come in twice for full weekend work. When these happen, it is often very tiring and stressful, but once well rested again it was fine.

I was given a good amount of responsibility where I would be in charge of presentation preparation, printing, analysis, research and admin work. This is the type of responsibilities I was comfortable with, in terms of my knowledge and familiarity, and so was very happy being able to help out in these areas. Occasionally I was given work with financial modelling and valuation - and only because I was not familiar to this aspect, this responsiblity is quite overwhelming as I want to deliver good quality. I am happy that Barclays assigned me with a good amount of responsiblity during my placement, it makes me feel like I truly contributed and was able to show how responsible I am.

I have learnt a great amount of technical and personal skills throughout this internship, and analysts have commented that I have improved on some of these skills as well. This internship has taught me how to be an efficient worker as well and how to manage expectations. It is these soft skills that will assist me in my degree studies and beyond. I have still a lot to learn in terms of financial technical training, as the training we received in the beginning of the internship was not enough, and I plan to develop this area more on my own.

My team works very hard and during the day it can get quite stressful and serious. However, people are always willing to help out or talk to you if you pick the right time. The atmosphere in the cohort section is much better, as people are friends and the analysts are more approachable. The team in general has really nice individuals in it, and it was nice to get to know them more once work was finished.

The internship was very well organized by Barclays HR. The lead-up to the internship was great - communication with HR was good and never dififcult to get into contact with them. The first few days of the internship with different types of training at multiple locations was also very well organized and all were useful and relevant. Throughout the internship, various networking events were well organized, and also in great variety which was very interesting.

As the internship is relatively short, we did not get a lot of opportunities for personal training and development, but i feel that Barclays is a place that would invest so when required.

I am excited if able to secure an offer to be able to participate full time in Barclays, as the work is very interesting and I would love to see a deal completed. However, the working hours and work-life balance in M&A is frustrating and colleagues have voiced out the honest nature of the industry, which was very helpful for a long-term outlook.

Yes, everybody was friendly and easy to chat with, work-wise or non-work-wise related. It was nice to have evening drinks with the analysts and my team on Fridays and on different events, as it was very nice and useful to get to know the team more. I am very happy with Barclays' nature of collaboration and approachability - I feel this is not something you'll experience if interning at an American bank - and am glad that this is the environment that I get to work in.

London is generally more expensive than the rest of the UK, but Canary Wharf is not significantly more expensive than the rest of London.

There are a lot of bars around the workplace which is good for team socializing. Most of us go slightly into central London for Nightlife

Not so much, but work is fairly busy that we don't really get time to do so. But still, if we felt that we needed to organize something outside of work, there would be a lot of opportunities and choices.