Barclays Spring week Intern Review

I really enjoyed the spring week program. I learnt lots about the types of roles there are within the company and the wider area of banking technology. The activities we did were an informative and useful insight into technology. I enjoyed the opportunity for work shadowing in the various areas.

The company made all of the spring week interns feel welcome and valued during the week. Despite the fact that there were around 50 of us, we all got the opportunity to speak to high level professionals on a one to one basis during work shadowing and networking sessions allowing us to broaden our network.

Most of the communication between the interns and graduate recruitment team was done through use of Barclays events app with post in relevant forums depending on location. This app also allowed interns to communicate with each other, in order to broaden their network and get to know the others better. This facilitated the formation of friendships and made the week far more enjoyable.

During the week we partook in a professional skills workshop in which we learnt what type of 'personality' you were through use of Psychometric tests. We then discovered some of the less desirable traits relating to our particular personality with regard to treamwork and conducting ourselves around others and learnt ways in which we could change these things about ourselves. I found this very useful and will use some of the skills obtained from this session in my later life.

The week was very well structured with a bus timetable each day, distributed to us from the Barclays events app, which could be synced to the calendar on my phone allowing easy checking of what we were doing and when. This made the week feel very smooth in its operation and ensured we knew where we should be at any time.

Prior to starting the program I felt that the atmosphere could have been one of competition since we ultimately competing for places on the summer internship. However when I arrived I was made to feel welcome and met some lovely people who I will stay in touch with beyond this week.

The company provided plenty of opportunity to further our professional skills in a comfortable and relaxed environment. The company also provided plenty of speakers and people who took time out of their schedule to talk to us. This professional engagement allowed me to visualize what it could be like to work for a firm like Barclays in the future.

The insight gave me great opportunity to understand what it would be like to have a full time role within the company. The highlight for this was the work shadowing, during which I learnt about particular roles in the company which I would be interested in and made connections with people currently working in these areas.

From the first day we were informed about the company values and how they are upheld on this site. They are very important for the company and they ensure that all staff are aware of how they align with them in their every day work. Barclays have a big culture around collaboration which was evident from this week.

This week provided me with a good indication of potential career prospects within the company and the technology business as a whole. I learnt about the particular roles in each area, realizing the depth of positions available. Although I entered the spring week unsure of my future career prospects, now I could see myself working for this company.

We were given an allowance to cover expenses whilst on the program.

Yes, there were several networking sessions, organised around breakfast or dinner. During these sessions we were able to meet employees from a wide range of roles within the company allowing us to question them about their responsibilities. This allowed me to think about the area I would like to pursue.