Spring Intern Review

I learned so much about Barclays, how it’s structured and what different business areas do. The week was packed with opportunities to network with employees, other students and to learn not just about banking but also about ourselves and soft skills such as communication and group work.

Everyone was really nice and approachable and the company as a whole was visibly investing in us and our development. Furthermore, the atmosphere within the spring interns was supportive and friendly.

We were encouraged to ask as many questions as we can and all instructions were clear.

Soft skill sessions were extremely helpful and transferrable to any future activities. Knowledge of the industry will definitely help me make future career decisions.

Brilliant one day, one business area approach with an engaging first day and an assessment centre at the end.

Everyone was lovely, I have no negative feedback.

A huge chunk of the time was spent on soft skill workshops and receiving career advice from graduates and senior colleagues. Most of this stuff applies on any career path and therefore was really beneficial even if we decided to choose a career outside banking.

We heard about the careers and typical work days of dozens of people as well as got the opportunity to shadow corporate bankers during their workday. Furthermore, the content and structure of summer internships and graduate schemes was explained to us in detail.

We learned about the Barclays corporate culture and values, but we also learned that each business area has separate cultures. These were visible in the actions and words of the people we met.

It definitely gave insight into the banking industry, but made me even more confused about what I want, since many different business areas interested me.

I was offered free accommodation, my flights were reimbursed, we were given free breakfast and lunch every day and we got paid £250 to cover for additional expenses. We also received many goody bags.

We had multiple networking breakfasts, lunches and general networking sessions with people from across the company.

It was all well organised. Maybe a better employee to student ratio would have enabled better interaction.

We were told about these opportunities on multiple occasions and we heard from employees about which ones they prefer.

Yes. There are no reasons to skip going.