Summer Intern Review

I've had a good time, learnt a lot, expanded my network and pushed myself into a more confident sales person. I've been presently surprised in the amount of senior figures I've been exposed to as an intern and meeting some of the key figures that run the bank has been the highlight of the internship. Furthermore, getting involved in the wider Barclays network has been great. Whether this be the Weds & Friday Bible Studies or the Black Professionals Network, I've seen that Barclays is a place that really welcomes every walk of life.

I integrated very well into both my teams and was able to ask for support from a variety of members within both teams. In Prime I've been able to speak with, learn from and present to a number of people across the team and equity financing sales. The team were instrumental on my Equity Derivs rotation to ask questions, check my work, provide feedback and simply talk to as well. Both teams have helped me to feel extremely welcomed and as though my work adds value.

Both my managers were very supportive and took a keen interest in my progression. Both took the time to set me projects and sit down with my individually. They were both very open to answering all my questions and introducing me to members within the wider teams. By conducting mid-term and final appraisals I have been able to receive valuable advice/ guidance that will benefit me well beyond the internship and into my career.

My daily tasks varied and some days were busier than others. However I can say that majority of the days were challenging. Typically I would be juggling a number of tasks/ projects as an intern but also a member of the team, but I was always able to still take the time out on a daily basis to sit with employees and other interns around the bank. My managers were both explicit in the fact that I didn't need to spend endless hours in the office and it was more about the work that I got done as opposed to being at work. I think I had the right balance of busyness that challenged me enough to have effective time management.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility on both desks. On projects that I felt added value to the teams that I was in. For example whether this was writing morning and end of day emails, to overseeing the data in important excel files, to giving the desk pitches and presentations. I feel like I was treated to a large extent as a key member of the team and expected to perform as such.

As I have already graduated I have been able to build up key skills that will benefit me as I begin my career. Whether these be effective time management, networking, excel, presenting, pitching and many more. Furthermore, I have been pushed at times during my internship to step outside of my comfort zone, this has built my confidence which I am sure will benefit me in whatever career path I find myself.

The atmosphere in the office can vary quite a lot depending on the team you're in/ floor you sit on. The general atmosphere of course was that of an investment bank so could be quite loud and fast paced at times. At other times when activity was low it could be a lot more quiet, you'd find people would have a lot more conversations away from work. Given the fact that you'll mainly each lunch at the desk with your team it can be a nice atmosphere, filled with a number of people from all walks of life.

Very well organized. From the training, to the objectives, the extra curricular activities, appraisals and stock pitches. Given how much had to be fit into the 9 weeks I think the overall internship was very well ran. Especially when you consider the added sessions that specific asset classes added for interns i.e. macro university.

Barclays gave us very extensive and holistic three days of training with some of the staff that train their employees and graduate class. That overview of the business was then built upon by the teaching and training that the individual desk would give you. I think the biggest investment that was made was with people's time. It's quite surprising how willing people from all areas of the business are to sit down and speak with you as an intern.

Definitely a place I could see myself working at. Great people, challenging work, good out-of-work opportunities, great career prospects.

Given the size of the intern class it was very easy to make friends and establish new networks amongst the intern class. Given the amount of diversity in relation to gender, nationality, race, university and degrees I think everyone is really eager to find out where people came from. Maybe as a way to gauge the competition but also just as an initial conversation starter. The interns regularly go for drinks and you see each other almost daily so you quickly form your own friendship groups on the internship.

I stayed at home in Zone 4 of London. My commute to Canary Wharf is around 45 minutes and I pay £27.30 for my weekly Oyster Cards. Lunch can be quite pricey in Canary Wharf and begins to add up after a while however the accommodation allowance provided by Barclays does well to help with cost of living. Socialising is extremely easy as Canary Wharf is littered with 100s of interns over the summer from a bunch of different companies.

I don't really go out in Canary Wharf but there are a number of bars, restaurants and a few clubs. Thursday and Friday nights are very lit and the place is buzzing, it's a shame the weather hasn't been that great but it's a good vibe and you meet a lot of other interns during after work drinks/ meals.

Definitely, so we had the citizenship task, I attended an internal Bible Study, 'Embrace' has a number of networks to get involved with. And a few of my friends have got involved with interbank sports while at Barclays.