Intern Review

I greatly enjoyed the technology insight week. We went over a large variety of different areas that Barclays operates in and the technology they are currently using as well as technology that will play a more pivotal role in the future. The opportunity to create a presentation on VR was a good opportunity to learn more about the uses of the technology but also get to know other people in the programme.

We were given an insight into lots of different areas of the Bank and what work is done in each of these respective areas. Throughout the week there was also a few discussions about what graduates and summer interns did when they were at Barclays which gave a clear perspective of what opportunities we will have in the bank.

We received a great deal of guidance and support but the work that we did wasn't very challenging. Whilst it is understandable that as first year students the work we can do is somewhat limited, perhaps we could be given tasks to do in the talks related to the concept being discussed.

The skills that we developed were teamwork, analytical skills, organisation skills and being able to manage time properly. This was particularly useful for the presentation a it required a fair amount of coordination, but it would also be more useful if we had a variety of other tasks to do. This could be things like having a discussion about a certain decision or topic related to technology (that could challenge the use of different values from RISES).

The structure was very well done, it included not only a fair overview of the technology divisions but also the opportunity to network with employees at Barclays and take part in crucial work shadowing sessions. The work shadowing for me was especially useful as it allowed us to get a better insight into the actual work being done and that we may do when we take part in the internship programme.

It was lovely meeting everyone in the programme. Both the people we meet who were employees of Barclays and the other people taking part in the programme were very nice to talk to and work with. This resulted in an atmosphere that promoted teamwork and helped break the ice in the beginning of the programme

We had set goals to meet by the end of the week as well as different ways to achieve these goals. This was useful as we had a clear idea of what we were going to do in the week and how we were going to accomplish this. It would be nice if we had more training in perhaps skills like dealing with a lot of data or a discussion about a technical topic.

The speakers were very insightful but it was primarily the work shadowing that I did which gave me a more realistic representation of what working as a technology analyst in different divisions was like. If there were more opportunities to look at what working at Barclays is like or maybe an actual run through of the type of work that in done in a typical day it would give a more accurate representation of working at Barclays.

There was a clear emphasis on the culture of the company and what the core values are. This was also reflected in the speakers that we met.

It was valuable looking into the future of technology in Barclays and it showed what this career path will be like.

The senior networking session was very useful as we got to meet people from a variety of different backgrounds and learn about the work they do.

They were very interactive and meeting the current graduates that we perhaps didn't get the chance to meet in the work shadowing session was useful.

Some speakers mentioned the activities that they can do outside of work but there wasn't a set discussion about such activities/ voluntary work employees might do.

Yes, it was a very positive experience and I met people on the programme who are equally passionate about technology and motivated to do work as I am.