Spring intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the Insight week. Not only did I learn so much about the Industry and the various roles within Banking and Markets, I also received first hand experience of the type of work Barclays undertakes. I loved meeting other like-minded individuals, the Spring was the perfect place to network and make friends.

The company invested a lot of time and effort into making sure that each of us fully understood what Barclays does and what the company stands for. Every employee was more than happy to take the time to answer any questions that we had. The HR team were especially helpful, I loved how they asked us to set objectives and then ensured that we had met them by the end of the week.

We were given a lot of guidance and support from both the HR team and other employees. During all group exercises there were a number of people circling the room to help answer any questions. We had ample opportunities to network and discuss any questions that we had with people from various teams.

One of the most important things I learnt, was how to make the most of networking. This is a skill that I will not take on to use in my current academic and future professional life. Furthermore, having now seen how the world of finance and banking operates, I will be able to apply my studies more accurately.

Each day was well structured, with back to back talks or exercises. I liked that there was a good mix of shadowing, tours, talks and group exercises so that we did not have to stay sitting in one place for the entire day. I particularly liked that each day we were required to do 'group work' in order to prepare for our debate.

There was an intense atmosphere, however; I didnt find the experience dull or boring in the slightest. I was always engaged with what was going on and often found myself surprised, at the end of the day, at how quickly the hours had past. All of the interns got on well and there was a nice social aspect to the week.

Barclays invested heavily in us. I learnt more about markets in this one week than I had in years of my own research. The focus of a different sector on each day made it easy for us to differentiate the two divisions and come to a clear decision as to where we would like to apply for our summer internship.

We had a small amount of time to shadow employees so this gave immediate first-hand experience of what the job was really like. The panel sessions of 'a day in the life' were also very helpful in showing me the day to day work that people at Barclays undertook. All employees were open about their work/ life balances.

Since we were able to speak and network with such a wide range of people within the company, I think that it gave a very wholistic view of the culture. The diversity and inclusion panel also assisted in showing me what Barclays values and what they are looking for in their employees.

This week was pivotal in helping me to decide between banking and markets. The content of the day was centred on ensuring that we could learn the most about each sector. Not only did we get the opportunity to talk to many employees from each division, but we also partook in group exercises that mimicked the kind of work each sector does.

Barclays gives a one off payment of £250 for the week and also covers the cost of transport to and from the spring week. I am greatly appreciative of this as the experience may have been costly if we were not reimbursed. The one-off payment will cover any food or living expenses.

Each day we had a networking lunch and then on the first day we also had a two hour networking drinks. On top of this we were assigned a buddy with which we had a 'catch up'. Barclays really emphasised the importance of networking throughout the week and gave us ample opportunity to undertake it.

There was a good ratio of interns to employees meaning that we were not waiting around to talk to someone, or crowing round one person. With each networking session I grew more confident about asking questions, everyone was really helpful and went out of their way to ensure they gave me the best answer.

The diversity and inclusion panel spoke about the vast societies and the different events that each one puts on. These events included lunches for national or religious celebrations, as well as talks or meetings about reverse mentoring or gender in the workplace. However, we were not told too much about any activities that employees took part in outside of Barclays.

I would most definitely recommend the insight to a friend. It was a great opportunity to gain insight into the workings of an investment bank. Furthermore, I learnt so much about the industry from technical terms to work/life balance, that it gave me a good idea of what it would really be like to work for the company.