Finance Analyst Review

I found my internship very enjoyable. Both the work aspect and social aspect exceeded my expectations. The combination of the two made what was expected to be a long 9 weeks, a very fast & up-beat period.

My experiences with wider colleagues / team members were always 100% positive and my contribution was always valued. Within my immediate team, whilst some of my contributions were appreciated - as an overall, I didn't feel extremely valued as an addition to the team. Though I understand their busy nature, when adviced to make myself feel as part of the team, that feeling was not reciprocated as I often felt as last priority.

I didn't get full support / guidance from my direct Line Manager. Whilst I understand their busy schedule, constantly prompting them to spare some time did not prove successful over my 9 weeks here. I was assigned a sub supervisor who I did spend more time with and receive more guidance from though this was also often restricted as most of my scheduled time with them was often pushed to the end of the day.

More time, I had a range of tasks to carry out / balance. I therefore usually always had something to do and at points where I didn't, it was always possible to ask to be included in a meeting or discussion, though not directly related to my work, still beneficial for general grasp of the wider functions within my area.

I had a number of tasks to complete, some of which I was given full control of. These responsibilities were vital, specifically where they were high level presentations / files to be presented to senior members.

The amount of skills I've gained here during my time at Barclays has been exceptional. From advancing general business etiquette to excel skills, presentation etc, it has truly been a learning curve. Where my degree is relative to the field I've worked in - it's maintained if not improved my background knowledge and thinking. The skills I've gained are directly in line with my career path that I wish to pursue so I feel genuinely fulfilled.

In my team there's a general atmosphere of a combination of business and casualness. The balance is nice, though there are plenty of pressurising days / periods, the general consensus is to remember that beyond work, all individuals have an outside life. The work-life balance is encouraged positively and a dynamic working style is nicely enforced.

On HR's part - very well. I found the structure to be very organised, well set up and beneficial. Things were done in good timing with fillers in between such as intern talks with senior members of staff. The execution of this by line managers did vary across all interns.

There were many training days / sessions from the start of the internship throughout to the end. It demonstrated a constant care for interns, ensuring that we had been supported from the start, through to the very end. HR were very helpful for all queries no matter how small or big and were always inviting making it comfortable to approach them.

Very appealing. The following steps for employment within Barclays is well structured and highly appealing. The opportunity to join a number of divisions on a rotation basis and earn a qualification with both social and financial support is very enticing.

Yes, I've built some very good relationships here with both interns and colleagues at Barclays. I find the relationships built more on a social level prove to be very beneficial in a professional aspect. Everyone is very welcoming and tend to match one another's level of socialness. There's a sense of unity.

City life. It's not cheap but it's worth it.

I am yet to experience the Nightlife myself but from what I've heard, it's worth the need for 10 coffees the following morning.

Barclays have a citizenship portal which I found very useful and utilised myself. The opportunity to engage in a day away from office yet parttaking in charity work / an activity of great use is enjoyable.