Spring Intern Review

I really enjoyed the insight week as it provided me with a holistic understanding of both markets and Banking. Both of the days had a similar structure allowing me to experience what a potential project could look like and hearing from people who were at all stages of their careers to learn about what they found interesting about their job.

I felt valued while I was at Barclays because I was able to learn from others and everyone that worked at the firm was open to interacting and giving advice. Everyone was really welcoming and I could ask them any question that I wanted without feeling embarassed and under prepared.

There were business representatives the whole time we were there to guide us through the sessions. For example, during the banking case study, we had professionals from different areas of investment banking to guide us through the process of an M&A deal. Also throughout the networking sessions, the representatives were really helpful in explaining all the technical terms.

the information I received really helped me decide which division I wanted to pursue a career in the future. Talking to people and carrying out potential activities that I may have to do when working in that specific division really allowed me to understand the dynamics of the work and which skills are important for that role.

The week was very structured. The first day was a general overview. We heard from different people from across the bank and had our senior networking session to try and learn more about the bank. Then we had a whole day dedicated to investment banking. We heard from people at all different levels across the bank. The third day was for markets and followed a similar structure to the banking day.

There was an extremely positive and friendly atmosphere. The students on the programme were great and I made friends with a lot of them very quickly. Everyone comes from such different background so they have done so many different things so I was able to learn from their experiences. The representatives were also very friendly so I could ask them a wide variety of questions.

they had a persuasive argument session where they taught us how to speak effectively so that we could be successful during our debates and in general throughout the programme. They also invested in a team building exercise which allowed us to understand the type of leader we were and to learn about how we can accommodate the needs of others.

the days were extremely structured so it was easy to follow and learn about all the different aspects of the business. This was through mini business games it was easily understandable about what each team does and how this affects other teams within the business. the case studies allowed me to see how a deal happens from beginning to end.

we had a senior networking event on the first day which was extremely helpful as we were able to gain an understanding of what people do within their teams and what their motivations were for joining the bank and working their specific department. This was a good way to start the week.

I would definitely recommend this event to a friend because it helped clarify what the different teams within the investment bank do and how they work with some of the biggest companies in the world. Additionally, it was a great way to meet new people who are interested in a similar industry and career as me.