Technology spring intern Review

Bringing in senior members of the Barclays corporate meant that all talks were well informed and well delivered. The speakers made their content real and exciting.

Despite being left by a colleague I was meant to work shadow, I felt that Amy and Katie who ran the London spring week were very hospitable. It was also clear that Barclays had gone to effort to capture our imagination with a variety of talks and tours around the institution.

Support was very comprehensive from Amy and Katie on the spring week team. Little direction was given, but that suited me more than having a specification laid out for us before each activity. It was more of a chance to wonder and grow individually.

This week primarily raised awareness in me of the way that corporate organisations operate in technological areas. I gained a well-rounded sense of this particular career path, and the industry as a whole which I will be able to talk about.

Structure left nothing lacking. Each day has variety and volume.

A more relaxed, interpersonal atmosphere was a remedie to the potential stresses of a skyscraper internship.

The company was very keen to showcase as many roles as possible. I got the sense that I am valued as a potential candidate.

It was only from the work shadowing that I was able to find out about the minutiae of one or two roles. This activity did fulfill this purpose as workers were open and honest. Chris Frost - Business Analyst - provided a lot of insightful and honest information

The general ethos and work ethic was never explicitly spoken of, but became gradually very apparent as an emergent attitude through the week

Barclays sold itself well. I am still undecided on my career path although this is more down to my own aspirations and character.

£250 was ample to cover costs.

Networking was consciously added to our agenda, and work placements and talks gave us the chance to do more informal networking. This criteria was fulfilled by Barclays.

I met many different employees over the week. Social networking could have been more frequent although I feel that the amount of time allotted to networking was right.

This topic was not pushed to us during talks or presentations ,however, a few colleagues spoke about it in person. One of the concerns I still have with the industry is involvement in activities beyond corporate so I would like to hear more about this

Yes. For an aspiring developer, manager or engineer, there will be a role within or without corporate which can be learnt from by anyone. The week was light-hearted but earnest and the world of Barclays feels much more accessible.