Business Banking Intern Review

I really enjoyed the internship, it has gone so quick and I wish it was longer. I really enjoyed having so many events on our calendar as it allowed me to learn more about the bank in its entirety. Therefore, I made sure to attend the all events I could even those that were not compulsory.

I felt very much valued by my colleagues, from fellow interns to my line manager. Their appreciation for my work was expressed through emails giving feedback on my work and also in person. I always felt respected and felt my colleagues were trying to ensure I felt included and comfortable.

The HR team were approachable and I definitely felt supported throughout the programme. We had the Mid Internship performance reviews which provided some guidance and the weekly Graduate Recruitment Drop In sessions. I also found my buddy very useful, as well as a girl on the graduate scheme in my office.

How busy I was depended on the day, but overall I would say I was moderately busy especially with the intern events. However, I was never overwhelmed with the work load. I actually completed task quicker than anticipated by the individuals that set me the work and they were pleased with the quality.

I think I was given the right amount of responsibility, I understand that the short time period of the internship and our level of expertise limits how much responsibility we can be given. But I felt trusted with the tasks I was given. I was also allowed to work independently.

I feel like I will now be entering the world of work with a greater understand of how such a big company functions. I have further developed my team works skills and I have learnt the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the work environment, from the hot desking policy to commuting between different offices and working with different people.

I found that the general atmosphere was slightly different in the two offices I commuted between, the HQ in London and the Office by Bank station. The atmosphere in the office by Bank STATION (where I was mostly based) was more intimate and friendly but expectedly at the HQ was more official but still welcoming.

I think the overall internship was well organised. I especially found the calendar useful and the updated one through email. Barclays have been running internships for a while and this is reflected in the way things ran there seems to be a flow and established process. It was also useful to be able to contact the HR team through phone calls.

We had two days of induction and training at the start of the internship, but no technical training (at least not for Business Banking). We also had online training to read and tests to pass (80% pass rate). The trainings were mostly on control and conduct issues, I found them very informative.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are very appealing to me. I am definitely thinking to stay in the Banking sector and hopefully staying with Barclays.

Yes, there were regular outings (usually on a Friday evening) with the interns and I attended a few of them. We also had a meet up earlier in the internship with the interns and the people on the grad schemes which was very informative and a great opportunity to network.

The cost of socialising was quite expensive but as long as you’re not going out every night I think it’s ok and it’s definitely worth the money as they are memorable an enjoyable experiences.

Yes there were event held by interns such a sports day and the pub quiz.

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