Spring Intern Review

It was an amazing opportunity to learn about an area of business I was previously quite unfamiliar with. They were incredibly welcoming and made us feel very valued and were always willing to answer questions or find someone that was more qualified to answer them instead. The week went so quickly and I didn't want to leave once it was over!

The group project we worked on during the week was to create a strategy to attract new customers to a particular Barclays account. I felt that they were genuinely interested in our ideas and were grateful for the information and knowledge we could provide about the subject. We were given lots of time to think of ideas that could actually be useful for future decisions by the firm.

Whenever myself or other interns were unsure about something or wished to learn more about a particular topic, Barclays professionals went above and beyond to make sure we came away with the answers we wanted. They also supported us personally as we began to make decisions on what sector of the business we might want to work in in the future.

I feel the most important skill I developed was communication. We were given plenty of opportunities to network with a range of people and I learnt how to quickly form a relationship that had the potential to last. I also learnt to have confidence in my own abilities and not to be afraid of speaking up and supporting my own views,

The insight was very well structured and gave us an overview of all the potential sectors of Barclays UK. We also learnt about general aspects of the business such as their values and learnt more about ourselves through personality profiling. However sometimes the schedule deviated from what we had been told it would be prior to the Insight.

Everyone was quite nervous on the first day but both the other interns and those who worked for Barclays were very friendly and the atmosphere then became enthusiastic and jolly. As the week went on, we all became closer and I feel I have made lifelong contacts both within Barclays and with other interns.

We began the week by doing a personality assessment and did some group activities in conjunction with our results to develop some of our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. The firm seemed as keen to help us develop ourselves and were keen to offer advice on how to develop our professional skills.

We were offered the opportunity to shadow current graduates throughout the week. This meant going to their individual offices and watching them work as well as chatting to them and getting advice. The only downside was that we didn't get to choose who we shadowed so some were more relevant to us than others.

We were given a session on the values of the firm and these were frequently reiterated to us by various different employees of the firm. The company appears to have a great culture with a combination of flexible working but very motivated individuals leading to an efficient but happy working environment.

Before the insight I had no idea what career path I wanted to go down. I had always assumed I would be an accountant as I am good with numbers, but after the week I knew that banking was the industry for me. Specifically, I realised that I wanted to work in a bank with similar values to Barclays that focus on delivering the best possible service to clients.

We were well reimbursed for travel, accommodation and food expenses. Many people were offered accommodation by Barclays themselves but equally, many of us commuted from our home locations. We were given a significant budget for Lunch in the high-quality, large range canteen and were provided energy-boosting snacks and drinks throughout the day.

We had plenty of networking opportunities, including an evening food and drinks reception on the 31st floor. This was a great opportunity to meet people from a range of sectors of the business as well as learn from students on all of the Spring Weeks. We also had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with many graduates throughout the week who shared their experiences of the graduate scheme with us.

I really enjoyed the networking events. I met lots of very nice people who had a lot of advice to give me about my career. The general consensus given by a range of employees of Barclays was to do something I would genuinely enjoy and not worry too much at this stage about career progression. After these events I felt a lot happier and more confident that I was making an informed decision.

We mostly spoke to employees about what they do in work and spoke less about home life. However I did get to learn more about the work life balance that certain employees have and how they balance working life with family commitments and hobbies. I learnt that Barclays is very accommodating to the needs of its employees.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. I have never before felt so valued during an internship and was already excited to apply for further internships at Barclays because of how much I enjoyed my week. It is a competitive Spring Week to earn a place on but anyone that is lucky enough to get one should definitely go for it and I hope that they enjoy it as much as I have.