Summer Intern - Operations Review

I thoroughly enjoyed working at Barclays - my team were absolutely lovely and everyone I spoke to was more than happy to take time out for a chat. I was actively given roles and responsibilities, with additional opportunities to get involved in work beyond my daily job. I learnt a lot within the 9 weeks.

My immediate team was very welcoming and friendly. Everyone I networked with was more than happy to chat and answer any questions (ranging from all positions in the business). The colleagues really do live the Barclays values. I also felt the work I was doing was of value to the company.

I felt my line manager was incredibly supportive, she was always on hand to answer any of my questions and we had weekly catch-up sessions scheduled. I felt my line manager was key in giving me guidance whenever I hit an obstacle. My buddy and mentor were also very supportive! I felt within my day role, there was a lack of clarity - although this may have been to promote problem-solving and self-development.

I was very busy from the beginning to end of my internship. I believe there were times I was too busy but this was a fault of my own as I booked in too many additional meetings outside of my daily role. There were very few times when I found myself with nothing to do - and if I did my team would always find something for me to do!

The type of work we were given as interns, we were encouraged to collaborate and work on the project as a group. On an individual perspective, we arranged our own meetings to discuss the process work, and were expected to manage our own deadlines in accordance with manager's expectations and agreed group targets.

I believe I developed key transferable skills such as time management, networking, communication, etc. These are all skills which are essential in any role. This experience also taught me to be proactive in the working environment to achieve and create my own opportunities to continue advancing myself.

The office was a pleasant place to be. My team were very friendly and would always have a laugh throughout the day. I felt this was a common theme across the floor in my office. I also felt anyone within the building was approachable and willing to help.

No internship will ever be set up perfectly - particularly when it's for a big global company and numerous interns. However, I felt this internship was well organised in providing us with responsibility from the moment we began. I do feel like there could have been better communication, for instance informing us about the location of our training days further in advance and ensuring clarity among all interns and their line managers on our project.

There were numerous opportunities following meetings and presentations in which we were able to seek feedback on our performance. We also had a mid and end of internship review with our line managers to receive overall feedback on each of our objectives. We were informed of the numerous training sites available to us on the intranet to learn about other functions and additional learning modules.

Barclays promotes a lot of internal mobility, therefore there are fantastic opportunities to move around within the organisation so you are constantly learning and trying new things. There are also opportunities for travel within the global offices. There are perks of working for Barclays such as dynamic working.

There was a mixture of interns whom were sociable and attended every event organised. A lot of social events revolved around drinks/going out so I believe some interns were left out. Many interns were keen to explore the city together. After a few weeks, many interns had grouped off into smaller groups to arrange social things.

I had my internship in Glasgow which is a fantastic city to live! It is also relatively cheap in comparison to other cities. Therefore, I was able to easily afford accommodation and socializing with no concerns.

Although I didn't get to explore the Nightlife as much as I would have liked, I still experienced numerous bars/clubs. There is certainly something for everyone in Glasgow! Every night out I had a great time and heard positive reviews from other interns who tried out different clubs.

Not as many as I would have liked. I was lucky and invited to an evening out with girls from Risk, and I was invited to an obstacle course event with some of my team in Operations. I also participated in the company's D&I/Citizenship throughout Pride. I also had drinks with my team on a couple of occasions when our boss came to visit the site and for my leaving night. However, it would have been nicer to see a greater social side outside of work from people within the office.