Structuring Analysis Summer Intenr Review

I very much enjoyed my Internship in its entirety. All events were very well organised and also very enriching for all interns. We managed to get to know each other and also much more senior colleagues during senior leader breakfasts. I can confidently say the past 9 weeks have been amazing.

All my colleagues were very friendly and approachable during the whole course of the internship. Whenever I needed help with anything, there was always somebody there willing and ready to help me with knowledge, advice, or relevant links. My manager was also very careful to spend enough time with me to explain key parts of business in great detail.

My line manager did a great job introducing me to the team and to what the team does in the general structure of the bank. We had weekly progress meetings, in which we discussed my progress, I was given feedback on my work, and future course of action was set for me to follow.

Even though sometimes it felt like there was not too much to do or that suddenly I had to work on several tasks at the same time, the overall distribution of work has been quite consistent. A very good balance was reached in which I very rarely felt under pressure, while at the same time I was kept busy with interesting tasks and projects.

During the course of the internship, I was gradually given more and more responsibility in day-to-day team activities. When my line manager and my teammates saw that I was performing well enough, they always pushed me further so that I could reach my potential. By the end, I was capable of performing the essential duties of my team.

I gained a lot of very valuable skills and vast knowledge regarding banking, lending, and growing a business through borrowing. I got exposed to many different aspects and tasks and I was given the opportunity to ask a lot of questions on areas that I felt uncertain about in the beginning. Now I feel much more confident and sure that the skills I polished during my internship will be of great use to me in my future development.

In the beginning, I was expecting a more formal and less fun atmosphere, it being a bank. However, I was quite pleasantly surprised by how friendly everybody was. Even though I was working in a bank, it never felt too dull. Moreover, we sometimes went to get drinks after work, which was always very fun.

I can only congratulate the HR team for the overall organisation of the internship program. All activities had been set out in the very beginning and every intern had a clear schedule to follow. Communication with HR was very easy, and where specific information was needed (HMRC details for example), such was always provided.

In the beginning of the internship, all interns were gathered at ExCeL for two days of general training, team building and networking. After that, I had to go through a vast array of training modules related to banking, compliance, and regulations. Both activities have been very useful and informative and I am quite happy with the overall attitude of the bank towards improving its people.

Even though more social events could have been formally organised as part of the internship, the interns always managed to find a way to socialise among themselves by creating group chats and organising nights out almost every week. We were also given the chance to get to know our closes interns very well, which was great.

Unfortunately, London and Canary Wharf are not known as the cheapest places in the world. However, if you are willing to spend some more time commuting, you can find a flat at a convenient price. If you go out of Canary Wharf, you can also find some cheaper bars and pubs.

Barclays offers many societies and clubs in which everybody can take part. They range from sports clubs to various interest networks to diversity networks. There are also interesting opportunities to engage in intriguing programs, such as Reverse Mentoring, which involves a younger and less experienced colleague mentoring a more senior one by providing him/her with a fresher look and a different perspective on things.