Barclaycard Summer Intern Review

The internship experience was hugely enjoyable with many opportunities to find out what it is like to work in a bank as well as network with people outside my division and get exposure in other areas.

The colleagues are definitely the best part of working at Barclays since everyone was so eager to make sure I was adding value from the first day I got to my desk - I was frequently given opportunities to prove myself whether it be in giving presentations or extra ad-hoc pieces of work.

My line-manager was excellent - we organised weekly catch-ups regarding both the work I was doing and the internship experience as a whole. They were really keen to support my development throughout the process allowing me the time and space to explore other projects during my internship.

With one major project with many different stakeholders, it was sometimes difficult to manage the flow of information or to find time with the relevant parties but the internship was very much what I made of it so I was able to take on as much or as little work as I felt possible.

Initially, I was put in charge of a task that was important both internally and externally for regulators but due to the sheer volume of the task this was shared with others. However, I got involved in a different project for which my team and I were fully responsible which was something taken up by our initiative.

Being able to think strategically and analytically lends itself very well by to my discipline but hard skills like Excel and SAS will be very useful both at University and elsewhere in the world of work as they are very transferable.

Barclaycard has an incredible atmosphere and I loved working there - the people and the physical environment both encourage collaborative work. The floor is always buzzing with activity and vibrant, with everyone being happy to have a chat with you as long as you can find some time in their diary! Everyone was very friendly and didn't hurt that we had some amazing views on our floor.

The team organising the internship have done a fantastic job with making sure we had the necessary training to be able to work there and offer our skills to our respective teams. One thing I particularly enjoyed were the speaker learning sessions which were organised by the team. These were very informative and with people across the bank, which I was able to follow up from and gain everything from coffee chats to work experience with those speakers I thought were particularly interesting!

The first week was intensive with training which I though I particularly needed especially not having worked in the financial industry before. Throughout the internship there are many personal development activities and sessions organised which were optional but enjoyable nonetheless.

I would absolutely love to work at Barclays - the people are incredible and they really do invest in personal development. It was a truly enjoyable experience and I definitely do see myself working there in the future. However, the changing graduate programme has been some cause for concern but there is no doubt as an employer, that they will do their best to support you.

Of course! I firmly believe that the social aspect of the internship was a huge part of it and the interns would frequently organise socials among ourselves. Canary Wharf is a great place to work and socialise at too so we could frequently be seen after work at the various local watering holes.

Unfortunately we paid the price for going out in London - it was to be expected but not what we're used compared to University life outside of London.

As mentioned previously, we'd frequently go out to places in Canary Wharf but with easy access to the city, it wasn't too difficult to go into central London either.

There were definitely many opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work - and it was encouraged! I joined the Running Club at the office and managed to make some great connections there. Also there were many intern and non-intern organised events which I enjoyed going to. I happened to be involved with organising one of these myself which was a great experience.