Summer analyst Review

I have really enjoyed my time here at Barclays. I loved how stimulating, challenging and exciting the work was - so different to anything I've ever done before. I've enjoyed having the routine of being in the work place, working under time pressure sometimes and doing really interesting projects which I know will benefit me in the long run.

Overall, I felt really valued by my seniors and all the colleagues around me. People always first ask if I have capacity to do something, and then really appreciated it afterwards, which was great. I was always thanked for anything I did and no-one took my help for granted. People were very considerate in that aspect.

My manager did a great job in being there to support me. Although he had to be away for 2 weeks of my internship, he made sure there were other people there to support and guide me in the work that I was doing. He made sure I knew that I could raise any concerns whatsoever with him, which was a very considerate and supportive thing to do.

At the start of the internship, I wasn’t very busy. I was still getting to grips with technology and phones and general learning about the division. But towards the end of my internship as I became more aware and capable of the standard procedures, I was being staffed more and given more responsibility. This meant a lot more work, too, so at the end I was very busy.

As mentioned earlier, at the start I was not given very much responsibility. However at the end, I was sending (internal) emails to different divisions by myself. Any external emails would be fully checked by a full-time employee, which was appreciated. But overall I think I was given the perfect amount of responsibility given my position and existing knowledge.

Since I am not back at university yet, I haven’t grasped the full extent of how this has benefitted my mind, my character and my capabilities. However, I do believe that this has really changed me in a positive way. I am much more confident now and feel much more comfortable in a work and even just general learning environment.

The general atmosphere was really inviting, warm and welcoming. I always felt like I was part of the team and making a difference. The atmosphere was positive in that I felt I could ask anything and no question was a stupid question. Everyone was very nice and open, and it felt like a non-hierarchical structure which was appreciated.

The internship was so well organized. Apart from a few changes in timings and rooms, overall I felt as though HR had put a lot of effort into making the internship as good as it could be. There were events every single week and all were very well attended by both seniors and juniors alike. It was also great to always keep in touch with the other interns.

I was so impressed by how much effort they put into my personal development. Especially the system by where there is a mid term review where we get a “stop, start, continue” approach – I really liked that because I can always refer back to it during times when I’m not sure if I’m on the right track.

The future prospects within this firm look very promising indeed. I think the internal movement is very mobile and available should this be something you would like to do. I’m sure it is a relatively stable place to work, given you work hard and remain proactive at all times. I can definitely see myself working here in the future.

The social scene was not huge, given how much work we all had to do. At the weekends there would always be something going on, but during the week there were occasional drinks but never anything big due to work commitments. But overall I got on really well with all the other interns.

Given I was based in London anyway, costs of living weren’t that big. But also given how much work we had to do, it meant a lot of eating out and getting after work drinks also became rather expensive. But overall I think it was in line with our salaries, so working in a different area not as expensive and I presume the salary would be lower.

There is almost no nightlife in Canary Wharf itself as far as I’m aware of, but in nearby Shoreditch there is lots to do every night. As mentioned, unfortunately during the week we weren’t able to do anything big but on weekends it was great to go to Shoreditch with friends and there was lots to do.

We were offered the opportunity to take part in a Corporate Social Responsibility activity, which was really great. Our project was to develop and enhance the social media strategy of a particular charity who work to give young people the opportunity to see and work with people from the corporate world. It was a really great project and I enjoyed it a lot.