Emerging Technologist Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as an emerging technologist intern at Radbroke. I have learnt a lot both technical, and about working in and navigating such a large organization. I have also been set tasks and worked on items that will genuinely contribute to my team's work, and so I feel it has been a 9 weeks well spent.

My team have been so welcoming, and treat me with as much respect and trust as any other member, best shown by the weighting of the tasks they have given me. We also had the opportunity to meet multiple directors and managing directors, who were also really welcoming, and seemed genuinely happy to speak to us.

My manager and team as a whole were always more than happy to help me with anything I was struggling with/ wanting clarification on if asked. No question was too stupid, and they always took time out of their own work to explain things properly. However, they were also not constantly watching over me over-explaining things so it was a really nice balance- the help was there but only if I needed it.

I was quite busy on a day to day basis, but never so much that it got stressful. I had tasks that were ongoing so I always had something to work on. I was also regularly invited to several meetings/calls that gave me a wider idea of the activities going on within my team and wider, even though not always directly related to my tasks. However, I also had time to get involved with things such as charity events, insight sessions etc. when I wanted to.

I was given tasks of a genuine weighting that other members of my team would have completed had I not been there- they were not menial tasks that had been invented just to give me something to do. As an example, I was responsible for producing reports that were sent to senior stakeholders.

I study a maths degree and so the skills I have learnt will not be directly relevant in assisting with my degree studies. That being said, my soft skills have improved a lot, and these, plus the ability to navigate a large organization I have picked up will be very valuable once I start my career after graduation.

Radbroke is of a campus nature and so it has quite a relaxed feel, with a more casual dress-code than you would expect working for a bank. Working with my team also had a really welcoming atmosphere, people happy to have conversations about general things as well as work.

Once started, the internship was well organized day to day, with no major hiccups. Speaker and networking events have been organized for us, fitting in nicely with our own diary commitments. However, the first week did cause some issues, with many of us having to wait for laptops etc. There have also been some issues in claiming back expenses.

The internship started with a 2 day induction in London, enabling us to learn both more about Barclays, as well as skills such as how to best present ourselves in a professional environment. It was also a really good opportunity to meet the other interns. Throughout the internship we have also had mandatory online training,

I would be really interested in being employed by Barclays in the future, having had a really good internship experience. The graduate scheme sounds very appealing, with the opportunity to be offered this if the internship goes well.

Having a large cohort of interns at Radbroke meant there has been a good social scene amongst us. We regularly met up after work, or for day trips at the weekend. It also meant there were many friendly faces around, and always people to socialize with at lunch,

Knutsford itself is quite a rural town and so quite expensive, however you can always travel to nearby cities such as Manchester etc to get around this. The accommodation allowance also means that the cost of renting in the area is not an issue.

The nightlife in the immediate area is not the busiest. Knutsford has several bars and restaurants, but for actual nightclubs etc. you would have to travel to Manchester.

Outside of work, there are many opportunities to get involved with sports on site, with tennis courts, football pitches, a gym etc. I have also been involved with charity initiatives, including a bake sale. My team have also been off-site for a meal, and as already mentioned we socialized a lot as a group of interns.