Intern Review

It was a pleasant internship which seemed to accurately follow the daily life of an analyst - something I would expect an internship to do. Most days were busy but it was reasonable, especially since there is a strong structure in place for work to be carried out. Would definitely recommend Barclays as a choice for banking internships. Since some of the work may be too complicated to understand without any experience in the particular product or sector, it makes for a challenge that can be overcome with time.

There were eight interns in this programme which made the atmosphere very lively and animated. Among the interns, we had to work in pairs which gave us a good idea of how others think about projects and problems. This let me feel valued for bringing different opinions, as well as providing guidance on what's right and wrong when tackling an issue. By analysts we were also very well treated, as they were enthusiastic to help us whenever we encountered a problem. It was a great experience with the people in the job.

Whenever we had issues we could approach them, for both welfare and technical support. They were able to give us mid-term and final reviews which will help us regardless of where we end up. I think the support system is very strong, and the mentor system between interns and analysts on the team is even better. This helps because there is always someone we know we can ask questions to without facing any backlash. It is probably the best thing about the culture here.

Some days I worked until 2.30, others until 7. I think it's a very fair balance because it reflects the nature of the work and is independent of the internship structure. It was also helpful that we received a project that we could work on. This was a great idea and we learned plenty from the other projects that we were working on, which made us busy but reasonably.

Plenty. I worked on live deals with ample supervision from my superiors. This meant that any errors that I made were caught before they were delivered, but other opinions of my own were usually retained. It was exciting knowing that work that I had done was passed on to the client. However, for the majority of the time the work did not need my own input, so there was less responsibility on my part in that regard.

I've picked up a generous amount of skills. From technical skills (Excel, PowerPoint) to modelling skills (understanding and assessing accounting and financial statements) to valuation (the various methods of valuing a company) to strategic analysis (in business strategy and operations to a lesser extent) to people skills (working in teams of various sizes) to time management skills, there have been many skills picked up in the time here. It will definitely help in the future in whatever I do.

It was very exciting and I could always speak with the other interns and analysts relatively freely. It was also good to have many social events that we could go for and enjoy ourselves after a busy period. It made for a positive atmosphere and I looked forward to attending work some days of the week.

It was very well organised and the HR team has done a very good job in setting the internship up. From the beginning we were provided clear instructions on what to do and where to go, before settling into our desks and working with the team directly. There, the team had a clear programme for us which allowed us to gain exposure to various projects despite not having any experience in finance at all. It was very well organised.

We were trained for three full days, before having training occasionally for the beginning three weeks. Afterwards, we were given a project where we had to apply the skills that we had learned and this was the best way for us to learn and I believe the firm recognised that it was an opportunity for us to learn through working on a model and presenting it.

They aren't very interesting because of the field of work, which I believe has nothing to do with Barclays. Other banks do not seem as intent on teaching and having a collegiate atmosphere, and that's why Barclays would be very appealing as a place to work. However, it still suffers from some of the old practices that gave banking such a bad name, and ultimately it depends on a person's character if they would like to work in such an industry. If they did, it would definitely be a good place to start.

There was a good social scene. We had lunches, coffees and dinners together regularly throughout the internship, and it was great getting to know the other interns here. It was also very nice having the option to eat with the analysts, who were always very friendly and were excited to bring us out for drinks whenever we had the chance.

The cost of living in London is understandably expensive. There were several options to save on cash and this was something that banking as a whole does relatively well, especially with the ability to save money by having an allowance for meals if we work past 8pm. It is a good system that I understand is common across most banks, but it reduced the cost of living substantially. Otherwise, Canary Wharf is not a bad place since it has plenty of amenities we would need.

We would have to go to town to get any Nightlife. The nightlife in the city is great, and we had many chances to go out to experience different clubs and to have a good night out. Canary Wharf itself doesn't have much of a Nightlife, so if someone is working here intending to go to clubs regularly, they would have to be content with taking the tube down to the city and paying relatively high fees to enter.

Yes if you wanted to there would be plenty of time to do different activities. If one wanted to do other projects outside of work it only depended on the amount of time they were willing to spend on it. If that is the case it is fine and I would like to see more people engaged in activities outside of work.