Sales Intern Review

Overall, my internship was a thoroughly enjoyable learning experience that provided great exposure to the banking sector. I interned in the markets division and I felt the general consensus amongst interns was that their experience varied dependent upon which desk they were allocated to. Both of my line managers were very approachable and it was made clear what was expected of me on my first day at each desk.

This is very desk specific. On my 2nd rotation, I felt highly valued by my colleagues who I felt really understood the purpose of the internship program and were more than willing to assist where necessary and take extra time to explain some of the more complicated concepts. On my first rotation, due to the pace of the flow on the desk, select colleagues were unapproachable and the work we was given was very much 'intern work', which is laborious and used solely to pit interns against each other as part of a selection process.

Both of my line managers were incredibly supportive and I was lucky enough, on my 2nd rotation, to have a very helpful buddy who had been through a similar process. This helped the learning process as they were more than willing to spend some time explaining tasks and answering all types of questions.

On these internships, you are as busy as you want to be. There is a good flow of work to keep you occupied - for example, I had daily tasks to complete each day, in addition to desk projects and pitches. On top of that, you are encouraged to network as much as possible, so it is not difficult to fill up your calendar, believe me.

N/A graduated

General atmosphere on the trading floor was good - exactly what you would expect in all honesty. I was particularly lucky on my 2nd rotation to be working in a great team which was self-fulfilling in the sense that it created a great atmosphere. The culture of Barclays is very good which helps create a good working environment.

HR do their best to make the internship run as smoothly as possible - however, as always, there is some disconnect between HR and the trading floor. After training, there are a number of 'Meet an MD' breakfasts, networking sessions and speaker series to get involved with which provide more opportunities to expand your network rather than just sit on one desk for 9-weeks.

We had 3 days worth of training at the start of the internship which acted as a comprehensive introduction to financial markets. I also received additional desk specific training for my first rotation in Credit due to the complexities of the Credit products offered - this comprised of 2 1-hour sessions with senior members of research.

Barclays is a very exciting organisation to be potentially joining and are committed to investing in the investment bank. Despite this, should you be interning in a Markets role, then you may be offered a role on a desk you perhaps did not intern on or are not interested in - dependent on head count. Cannot fault the bank itself, however.

There are not many organised social events throughout the internship - HR organised a leaving event but that is all I can recall. Interns tried to socialise out of work hours as much as possible but most were exhausted by the weeks work - so don't be surprised if you are left to your own devices come Friday night.

Working in the Wharf is never cheap. Expect to be paying at least £5.80 minimum for a pint on a Friday night after work. Despite this, you are more than sufficiently compensated to find suitable accommodation and live comfortably (when/if you get out of the office) throughout your 9 weeks.