Technology Spring Week Review

I enjoyed experiencing a real working environment and exploring the different ways Barclays are developing new technologies to serve customers around the UK. There was many interesting talks from professionals who knew a lot about the industry and their knowledge they shared was invaluable, however occasionally these talks would take up an entire afternoon with only one 15 minute break which took its toll as concentration dipped. One of the best things in my opinion was the interactive sessions held such as the IDG session and the workshadowing where we were allowed to interact more and ask questions in a more informal environment.

I felt extremely valued during my week at Barclays. There were so many Barclays employees that gave up their time when they could have been working to give us talks about their work, showcase their projects, and attend multiple networking sessions, giving us guidance and advice whenever we needed it. There were so many opportunities to ask questions during talks or networking and every employee I spoke to treated me as an equal individual despite the fact I was a student. I did not feel spoken down to or patronized at all. All staff seemed genuinely interested in me and what I was doing and my plans for the future, whether it was at Barclays or not.

There was support and guidance available throughout the placement, especially from the staff who looked after us all week. There was advice about CVs and interviews to prepare for the final interview at the end of the week. I do feel that there could have been more guidance at the beginning of the week, for example, we had to decide whether we wanted an interview with Barclays by Wednesday midday, before we had done any work shadowing, which for me was a key decider as to whether I wanted it or not.

There was a lot of Barclays specific information throughout the week which will not serve transferable to my degree, however the awareness I developed through learning this information helped me to understand the growing industry of technology and its importance in the world. In particular, the group work helped me to develop interpersonal skills and teamwork while learning about key issues across financial services. The CV and interview skills will definitely assist me in applying for future internships. The multiple networking events held were vital for me to be able to develop my skills and confidence in talking to people of a professional nature. Prior to this, I was uncomfortable as it was hard to know what questions to ask them.

The insight was extremely well structured. There was an app with the agenda for the entire week published well before the insight began. The week stuck to this agenda, meaning we all knew where we had to be and when at all times. A lot of the sessions did run over 10 or 15 minutes which seemed as though perhaps the employees giving the talks had not been informed about the time frame they had or the importance of sticking to it, but the staff in charge were good at adapting to the situation and adjusting the timetable to suit.

A lot of people I spoke to were expressing that they didn't enjoy it as much as they thought they would, due to the nature of having lots of talks and lecture-style sessions. A lot of people said they were bored on multiple occasions. However, when we were given the opportunity to interact, the atmosphere improved considerably. My team was very enthusiastic about our group project and everyone contributed well. Everyone was really friendly and I spoke to so many different people throughout the week. The atmosphere between us and the staff was more informal than I expected, which allowed me to feel more relaxed and able to ask questions, even if I thought them to be 'stupid' questions.

The talks we received were quite in depth about Barclays procedures and there was a lot of information thrown at us which didn't really help me to understand what work life at Barclays was really like. The only opportunity I had to learn this was the workshadowing sessions. These were useful, however for me I was paired with someone who's majority of work was confidential and they couldn't share much. This wasn't very helpful for me to understand work life. My second session, two people from a particular sector of Barclays gave my group a 2 hour talk about what they do, which was interesting but again didn't give me much of an insight into their actual day to day work life. The networking was the only opportunity I got to ask real questions and they were answered honestly.

There was a lot of information available about Barclays and the company which really helped me to understand what they're actually about. This helped me to make an informed decision upon finishing the placement about whether Barclays was the right place for me and the financial sector in general. All the opportunities to ask questions also helped me to understand exact areas I was interested in.

The reimbursement from Barclays on this placement was amazing. Lunch was paid for everyday at the centre, accommodation was paid for, and breakfast and dinner in the hotel was pre-paid. Travel was reimbursed and then another £250 was given to us all in addition to this. I did not incur any expense during this week.

Particularly at the Radbroke centre, there is so many facilities for staff to get involved in activities outside of work. There was a gym and sports facilities and we frequently saw people playing sports in their lunch breaks. Everyone I spoke to during the week said how amazing the work-life balance at Barclays is. I met many people on the rugby team and people who used the gym. Everyone seemed really proud of the Radbroke campus and for good reason.