BP&A Analyst Review

Internship experience has been very enjoyable with colleagues at the bank making my time here very enjoyable, informative and stress free. A whole host of events organised by HR along with the ease of networking make being an intern at Barclays a great experience. Most interns I have spoken to feel the same way and have found it very enjoyable.

Colleagues have handed me tasks with large responsibilities which had taken me by surprise. Responsibilites given to interns are equivalent to those of a graduate and even more senior members of staff. My colleagues have treated me as one of their own and have been extremely kind, helpful and have made my intern experience very enjoyable.

My manager has always been able to make time to speak to me to discuss how things are going and to discuss any issues I may have. My manager has also introduced me to other colleagues that I have been working along with who have always done their best to explain my job role and the purpose of tasks to me.

How busy I was varied on a weekly basis. Upon joining my team, the bank was hit with the impact of Brexit which made the first few weeks of my internship fairly stressful and kept me very busy. The second half of my internship involved better time management and I was provided with a project to work on outside of Brexit.

Levels of responsibility were high which was highly surprising as I am only an intern. High levels of responsibility also helped me understand the business financials better as I received exposure to important files and documents. My manager described my levels of responsibility as those of a colleague who is "Assistant Vice President"

I was involved in projects that helped develop vairous soft and technical skills including a mixture of Excel and PowerPoint building. I also had to communicate with international teams a lot which helped with soft skills such as communication. At the start of my internship, the firm provided interns with free training courses of various issues.

The department I worked in featured colleagues who were great fun, enthusiastic and always willing to help. This helped make my experience very enjoyable. It was easy to approach anyone for help/assistance and to even have a general chat and network. My office also featured events which gathered all colleagues in our office to take part in activities and network.

Internship was very well organised which featured training and introductions during the first week, various networking opportunities and events for interns to take part in and meet senior stakeholders. The internship was also organised to feature many learning speaker events which involved senior members of staff, including CFOs, to speak to interns about their career and provide general advice.

The firm provided unique opportunities to network with members of staff ranging from graduates to managing directors which helped provide useful career advice. The firm also provided free training courses as part of a large catalogue with opportunities to learn about various areas of banking, finance and accounting - even across other departments.

Future prospects look great. The company has a very well structured and organised graduate programme for all departments. Support networks are also provided for graduates which include a buddy, mentor and line manager to whom you can reach out to any time and discuss anything. Company provides various benefits which are attractive including remote working.

Social scene among fellow interns were great with many socialising and networking events being organised by HR exclusive to the interns. Had opportunities to socialise and interact with interns outside of my division both inside and outside of the office. Interns in general were very approachable and keen to interact with each other.

Canary Wharf is a great area to socialise and take part in activities outside of the office. Various pubs and bars in the area. There are also great transport links from Canary Wharf to other parts of London where you can go to enjoy the nightlife London has to offer. Canary Wharf is also fairly close to the City where the nightlife can be great.

Barclays promotes citizenship activities and provides two days out of the office per year devoted to citizenship events. It also actively encouraged the interns to get involved and volunteer and has a dedicated page to citizenship activities which include: matched fundraising and volunteering. Opportunities are for everyone; ranging from interns and graduates to even senior members of staff.