Spring intern Review

I did really enjoy the insight. It was an extremely useful way to find out more about the sector and this was particularly enhanced by the networking sessions. Being able to talk to people who have worked in the industry for a long time really gives you a feel of what it is like to be part of Barclays. At the same time, the fact that we had the chance to hear from young people on graduate schemes, for example, helped in finding out more about what is expected of us in the early stages.

I think that starting from the fact that everything was well organised and the HR were always open to take questions and guide us if needed, to the openness of the employees regardless of their seniority proved us that we were highly valued. Also this encouraged us to ask questions not fearing of being judged which in my opinion makes our journey successful in terms of development.

Firstly, in terms of guidance from the HR team regarding how the activities are scheduled or other general information, I believe it was fantastic. Then, when it comes to support and guidance from the professionals, I can only say that it exceeded expectations. Starting from advice on how to tackle different situations and providing us with pieces of advice they wished they had been told when they were in our shoes to support with understanding what a certain sector does and what makes one suitable for the role, everything proved very useful.

I think that the skills we further developed during the insight programme were communication and comprehension skills. The programme is fast paced, there is a lot of information to take in at once and this makes you push your limits, try to absorb as much information as possible. In this respect, I think that the case studies helped significantly. Having to apply all the technical information while understanding it and having to apply it on the case study you have been given was challenging, but also constituted one of my favourite parts of the programme and will certainly be of use later on, regardless of whether we are talking about my degree studies or later on in my career. The networking sessions were useful in terms of getting a feel of the industry, but also proved very useful in terms of communication skills along with the group work or the other tasks we had to work on in teams.

Overall, I was satisfied with how the programme was structured. The schedule was quite packed which make the insight week very intense. I appreciated that each activity had Q&A sections and that for each panel discussion we had representatives from different sectors in banking/markets. However, I would have really appreciated if after the presentation which we had to make as part of the sales case study we would have had received some feedback on the rationale behind our final decision. Also, I you have loved to hear the opinion of the professionals on that, what would they have chosen. At the same time, we ended up not doing the interactive exercise as part of the research overview.

The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was very open and friendly which made it easy to approach people, irrespective of them being other interns, the HR team or professionals. The atmosphere kept the friendly and open tone even during the assessment centre in our last day which I think that enhanced our performance both during the interview and the debate.

I think the investment in us was significant. As I have already mentioned before, the case studies proved very valuable. In my opinion that combined very good explanation of the technical terms which enabled us understand the underlying principles, the knowledge behind the financial terms and the group work supervised by a professional. However, I would have loved to work in a smaller group for the trading game because we could only use one iPad and we were 10 at the table. As a result some people ended up not being able to see the screen or actively participate.

For me, the programme gave a valuable insight in what it is like to work in the industry and what it is like to work for Barclays. Talking to people and being able to see not only that they were passionate about what they were doing as their day to day job, but also that they were passionate aboute the company’s culture and how they really believe and represent the company’s values were of significant importance.

As mentioned above, the people to whom I talked were not only passionate about what they were doing, but they were also passionate aboute the culture and the atmosphere at Barclays. They really enjoyed the values of the company and that was one of the first things thatI have noticed while networking.

I think that the content of each day helped me understand what a job in banking/markets would mean. From work-life balance to what a day in the life of an analysts looks like and what are your opportunities for growth and development in each sector and division, the networking sessions each day were very useful. Then the case studies which included more technical information gave me an insight into what kind of skills I need for a certain career path.

The company reimbursed my travel expenses and they also provided accommodation. Also we were given money that should cover other expenses during the week.

There were plenty of opportunities to network. We had networking lunches, speed networking sessions and a long networking session on our first day. All of these were excellent opportunities to talk to professionals from different area of the business and from different levels.

The networking and social events were excellent. We had opportunities to talk to professionals from different area of the business and from different levels. Everyone was friendly and willing to answer your questions

We found out about activities employeers get involved in. We had a panel discussion on diversity when people came in and talked to us about what events they otganise together.

I would totally recommend the programme. As i have already said I think it is the best way to get a feel of the industry, to get involved with professionals and to network with like minded people