Analyst within Technology Review

The internship was a great insight into working at Barclays and working in technology. It provided with many opportunities to find out more about my working in technology at different levels and massively helped me develop skills necessary for doing so. Not only this but the company made a huge effort to make sure we were integrated well and enjoyed our time here.

The team I was assigned to made a real effort to help me get me started on a fulfilling project, whilst also giving me the opportunity to work autonomously and ensure I fulfil my objectives for the internship.

My line manager and team ensured that I was on track to complete my tasks and regularly made an effort to check that I was enjoying myself whilst being challenged appropriately.

The first couple of weeks were quite light whilst my team made sure that I had all the necessary permissions and equipment to perform my task but during this time I was given a lot of opportunities to find out more about the company. Once I began my project I went into work each day having an idea of what I wanted to achieve that day, this ensured that I never became overloaded with work and at this stage the internship offered the ideal work balance.

The project that I was assigned was a dependency for a larger project within Barclays, this highlights the importance of my role during the internship. I was working alongside an experienced of team that were happy to respond to any queries I had.

I've worked with a number of new technologies during the internship and I feel having an understanding of them will give me a great head start when applying for related roles in the future. I also feel that it has presented me with real-world examples of technologies I have studied during my degree and this will only enhance my understanding.

The atmosphere in the office was a good balance between a professional working environment without people taking themselves too seriously. The company provide many social events which really aided in maintaining a good working environment.

There was clear and frequent communication between myself, the internship organisers and my line manager. This helped to ensure that I was provided with reasonable deadlines and that any issues I had could be quickly resolved. There is a clear structure to the internship and this helped to guide me in getting the most out of the internship.

The first two days of the internship were spent speaking to some of the most senior colleagues currently at Barclays whom providing us with massive insight into what it's like to work in various departments. During this time we also spoke with an external company regarding values and guides for our own personal development during the internship. Throughout the internship we were also provided with a number of mandatory online training courses.

The company offers a very competitive graduate scheme and performing well on the internship provides you with a very good chance of graduate offer.

My fellow interns were very friendly and whilst I worked in a separate team to them I caught up with a group of them each day on lunch. Prior to the internship there was a lot of communication between interns and this really helped in people getting to know one another. We regularly organised events outside of work with each other.

The cost of living was relatively high, however if you look there are a some places in which you can find good value. The company also provided compensation for accommodation and living which was more than enough to cover costs of living.

There are a number of good bars and restaurants in Knutsford, it is also a very easy commute to Manchester should Knutsford not offer enough variety in terms of Nightlife.

There were several opportunities that were organised by the interns and the company also provided reasonably regular social events outside of work hours. I also joined my team for a meal in Knutsford during the internship.