Compliance Data Insights Summer Intern Review

I very much enjoyed my time at Barclays this summer. From the first day, I was given challenging, meaningful work, and I could immediately see the benefit of this for my team. There were a large range of events on offer for interns to get involved with one another, as well as the community at large. I felt very supported and valued throughout, and truly felt that the firm had invested in me - it was an excellent opportunity to grow as a person, and to pick up new skills.

Very valued. The immediate and wider teams were an absolute pleasure to work with, I actually completed two mini-rotations during my time at Barclays, and so had the opportunity to work closely with a large number of people. I found every single person to be highly supportive, eager to help me should I need it, very friendly, and keen to let me explore areas of project which I was most interested in, and thought that I could add the most value to.

I had two line managers during my time here, and both were very good. I was encouraged to ask questions from the first day, and they consistently gave me meaningful, challenging work. They were always happy to catch up and discuss my work, as well as my internship and career at Barclays as a whole. They also encouraged me to work on areas of projects that I was very interested in, and so there was an element of flexibility too.

I was reasonably busy. For the majority of days, I was in the office between the scheduled hours of 9 to 5, comfortably finishing my work within this timeframe. On some occasions, I would stay until 6 or 7, however, this was relatively rare. I never felt as if a deadline given to me was unreasonable, and as such never felt overly pressed to finish a piece of work. Additionally, at no point was I merely 'idling,' waiting for work to be given to me. It was, therefore, a very good balance.

I was given a good level of responsibility throughout. I was working on real, functional projects which would have a significant impact on the business, and I could see my work being implemented within these and the value it added. It was very refreshing to see that rather than work being prepared specifically for an intern, I was essentially performing an AVP role within the team, and so got a real flavour of what the job entails.

I think that the skills I have developed and training I have received will definitely help me in the future. I picked up coding skills in Excel VBA, as well as a data science software package, which I consider to be extremely useful. I also attended a number of training sessions, which gave me a far more in-depth understanding of how a bank and financial markets function. I also picked up skills such as being able to read a large amount of technical content and interpret/apply it, as well as general soft skills which will serve me well throughout my career.

The atmosphere within the office was generally very calm and upbeat. Employees were always very friendly, personable, and upbeat. It was also somewhat more casual than I would have expected prior to coming in. It was a very pleasant atmosphere to work within. Everybody is always happy to lend a helping hand and catch up, both within the immediate office, and within the firm as a whole.

Very well. There was correspondence from the HR department prior to beginning, which very much laid the groundwork prior to starting. There was also an introduction to my line manager and buddy via email, which also allowed me to arrange a meeting with my line manager before the start date. Whilst on the internship itself, we had a number of additional sessions with senior members of the bank, networking events, charity events, and so forth, which was very enjoyable. Everything was promptly communicated to us and laid out very well.

I definitely felt that the firm invested in me. We had a two-day long induction programme, which allowed us to learn a significant amount about the banking industry as a whole. There was also the 'Insights' scheme, whereby your personality is mapped. I think that this is an eye-opening experience, and having a session where this was covered was also very good. I had access to a plethora of resources and many training sessions.

Very appealing. Barclays has a great corporate culture and seems to very much invest in its people. The opportunities to learn and pick up skills seem limitless, and there is a large amount of internal mobility. The firm is also very forward-looking, with concerted focus being put on technology, data science, and programming; staff in all areas of the bank are being upskilled.

There was a very good social scene. All other interns at Barclays who I met during my time here were very personable and friendly. Many of us would meet multiple times a week - both after work and for lunch, assisting one another in any way possible. There were also a number of group chats, with everybody being introduced (at least by name and occupation) prior to actually beginning the internship itself.

The internship was in London, and therefore these will always be relatively pricey. Most accommodation within London is expensive, and so I would encourage future interns to look at places to stay at least a few months prior to the internship starting - I know that a number of fellow interns lived at university halls of accommodation, as well as in rented flats/studios around the city. The cost of going out to eat nearby is, again, somewhat expensive, but is more or less in line with London prices.

In Canary Wharf, you can be in most areas of central London within a number of minutes, and so finding a bar/restaurant to your taste is never difficult. So far as Canary Wharf itself, there are a number of bars and pubs nearby, where many of the interns would meet on a weekly basis and socialise after work. This was very enjoyable - especially on a sunny day when the central square was filled with many people relaxing with friends after a week of work.

There were a number of initiatives whereby interns could get involved with activities outside of work. There was a charity event, whereby interns were split into different teams and were tasked with solving a real-world issue facing a charity. There were also a number of different schemes which one could get involved in; due to the scale of the organisation there is no way of listing these, however, Barclays truly is a firm where people give back to the community, and so by showing interest in a given area and a willingness to offer your time and support, you are sure to find a team of like-minded people also working to solve the same problem; there really is no shortage of ways to get involved in the wider community.