Intern banking student Review

My time at Barclays was fun and enjoyable as I learnt a lot while doing my work experience. The staff there were really nice and embraced me as if I was an actual employee. I observed cashiers, personal banking appointments and mortgage appointments. I only did a one week work experience placement, but the time I was there I got the sense the staff were all very close and welcoming.

The staff at Barclays were extremely welcoming and accepting. They helped me ease in to the branch very well and all the staff were extremely polite at my time there. Wonderful staff and a very welcoming atmosphere. The majority of managers seem very interested in ensuring their staff is happy, and flexible work hours seemed to be occasionally available on request.

The day started at 9:30 am, where I would be given different tasks daily and they would be completed in the given duration deadline. My lunch would be around 12 pm every day, whereas I would put in the staff room completing the daily tasks. At the end of the week, the manager offered me to stay longer and train for the full-time job. I declined as I wanted to finish my business course.

During my work experience i was able to gain a wider knowledge and understanding of the day to day running of a bank from small jobs such as organising deposit slips and file keeping, to higher things such as loan pitches. Also I was able to develop a lot of skills.

In a typical day, I spent most of my time listening and asking questions about the workplace, however I was given some things to do such as enter information into spreadsheets, sort things into files etc. I learned a lot about the "behind the scenes" of such a prestigious business, and about the documents and confidentiality of those documents. But the most important thing I learned was that I needed something far more upbeat to keep me interested.

Atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed. The typical day would be wake up at 6 am get ready and leave by 7 to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic, I learned many things e,g, dealing and cashing money as well as counting the money quickly and fast sums in my head.

My time spent there was on a work placement but the staff were very welcoming and management was always around and setting a good example to staff and also myself. I felt very happy going to work in the mornings knowing it would be a good day. I was given the opportunity to come back and grow in the business.

I learned how to handle difficult customers, how to process transactions,withdrawals,deposits,cashing cheques in, etc. I learned that customer service is key in a place like Barclays. I learned the values of barclays which were Respect, Integrity,Service, Excleence, Stewardship. I learnt a few facts about Barclays Firsts. I really want to have a career here

Hardest part of the job would be handling rude customers knowing that i have to remain professional no matter what which i did really well. The most enjoyable part was actually serving a frustrated customer and doing what needed to be done correctly and making sure they leave satisfied with the service.

I learnt a lot about the work place at Barclays, and I got to experience an average day in the working world, by working with personal bankers, mortgage advisors, and others, as well as interacting with members of the public. This was my first insight into banking and i really enjoyed it.