Spring Programme Review

It was a very challenging internship but I learned a lot. However, I did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. However, this is due to personal reasons and not because of the Spring Week itself. I just found out that investment banking is not the right career for me.

I felt valued all the time. Everyone was very friendly and the atmosphere was very pleasant and is in contrast of what I have heard from other students at my university who took part at the internship in the previous years. Employees took their time to get to know us interns

Staff were always there and ready to help if needed. There were always people around you to ask. This was personally important for me because at sometimes I felt lost and was happy to talk discuss some stuff with the advisors. So there is nothing to worry about and you’ll always be supported.

I have learned a lot more about finance in general but I will not be very useful in my degree as it is a totally different area. However, I learned a lot of transferable skills and endurance as this internship was tougher than what I have imagined before starting the Spring Programme at Barclays.

The insight was very well structured. At first, me and the other interns were introduced everybody and the facilities were showed to us. Afterwards, we enjoyed regular sessions with our contact persons and various events were organised for the interns. Also within my project, my supervisor communicated clear expectations and goals.

The atmosphere was really amazing and exactly what I expected from such a world class institution at Barclays. Everyone is willing to work hard, go the extra mile and even over hours if that is necessary to succeed. I slept little but I did not care as I want to prove myself as well. All the interns were like-minded which all pushed us to our limits.

The company invested a lot. Not only money but also time to sit down with us, have a talk and answer all our questions. Every presentation was informative and the tasks well thought. I liked that employees of the company actually took their to network with us and share their lessons with us.

It helped me a lot to decide about what I want to do later in life. I was very unsure about where life would take me but this internship gave me direction. I know now what it is like to work for a big company that is prestigious and all the benefits you’ll get when you are an employee there.

The company culture is great and full of passion and motivation. It makes you better person and gives you an incentive to become better. Everyone is extremely talented and smart. But this is exactly the culture or environment you want to be. If you talk with employees or play close attention it will more than enough to gain an understanding of the culture.

This internship is a great opportunity for everybody and I would recommend it. I would recommend internships generally because it provides an insight into the industry and the company which no book or article could every do. But at the end of the day, it is what you make out of it.