Technology Off-Cycle Analyst Intern Review

This is my third internship with Barclays. I did the spring week, a summer internship and a 6-month placement. Even though I liked the company from the beginning, the more time I spend here the more I like it. I returned to the same team and the projects were well chosen to suit my interests as well as the needs of the company.

My team was very supportive since day 1. This is one of the reasons I chose to come back. They are all very knowledgeable and willing to share that. I think the best way to think about it is that they value high quality work and getting things done. I totally subscribe to the same view so there was a match. They were always supportive when I needed.

I've done quite a number of internships so far and I can strongly say that my manager at Barclays was the most supportive. He was always open for a conversation. All the decisions were made together. This means that I also had the freedom to speak out but I was also smoothly (naturally) guided. My manager was like an 'older friend' who always advised me for the best (both for me personally and for the whole team).

I would say that on average everything was in a perfect balance. I would emphasis 'on average'. I do not think that there is any job in which the workload is uniformly distributed. I had busier days and also more relaxed days. I consider relaxed the time that I did not spend on core technical things but rather talking to different stakeholders (like clients or compliance).

I started a completely new branch of a fairly new project. The tasks were split such that everyone has full ownership of his/her own part. This was quite intense: it was rewarding when the demos were successful and appreciated by many senior people in various areas of the bank but also this comes with quite a lot of responsibility. However, the pressure was not overwhelming and I always received the right support. So, I would say it was just the right level.

I am studying computer science and I worked in a highly academic team. So this placement was really helpful because it helped me consolidate the knowledge I already acquired from university. Also, I learnt new things. Some of them are industry specific and some of them are a good start for my future studies.

Well, I would give a full rating to the atmosphere in the office but not for fun in the sense of playing like kids. Work was really fun and also the conversations were very enjoyable. I can relate a lot to my colleagues so they shared their insights to me. I would say that the fun to learn new things never stopped.

I interned 3 times with Barclays and every single time all the events were well planned. We had learning session, recruiter catch-ups, team catch-ups throughout the internship and a few training days at the beginning. These were all run smoothly and helped the interns as well as Barclays to make sure we are all on the same page.

There are many internal resources to learn from. We have unlimited access to educational platforms. So, for example I looked at a few lectures from some online courses. I was also allowed to spend time to do my research before going forward with any technical initiative. This is not a direct investment, but the time is also a resource and I was given enough to make sure I deliver the best solution.

Continuing to work at Barclays is very appealing to me. I have interned here a few times but I have never been bored. Even within the same team I changed roles quite a lot. That means I had a steep learning curve so far and I feel there is room for much more. Also, I am getting along very well with the team. After spending several months with them I can safely say that I feel that I belong here.

The social scene is just fine. I would not be able to give too many details about every single team in the bank, but overall it's ok. I do not have any graduates in my team so there is some age difference between my peers and myself. However, I never felt that this is a barrier in communicating to them. Regarding my fellow interns I ended up being really close friends with many, some come from the same university like me and some others come from abroad. So this diverse environment makes it even more enjoyable.

Because Canary Wharf is an area with many corporations the prices are higher than average. And London is quite expensive anyways.

Barclays is located in Canary Wharf, an area of London where the most banks are located. Apart from banks there are a few other corporations. There is a good entertainment infrastructure during the day. However, there is almost no nightlife, only a few restaurants and bars being open until late. There is some evening activity, after people leave work but no nightlife. This makes complete sense given the above.

I know there are many programs to involve in. However, I did not involve actively in any. I can say based on my friends's experiences that there are people doing sports.