Compliance Intern Review

This internship has been incredibly enjoyable due to the great structure and design of the scheme. From the outset it was made clear that we were here to learn and that we could shape our internship how we felt was best. This has allowed me to explore a number of areas within the department that I never thought I'd get a chance to.

The colleagues are one of the best parts of the role. It does not feel hierarchical at all and I feel able to talk to anyone if I have any questions or want any support. In addition, it does not feel like a strict working environment, it is much more of a supportive, friendly atmosphere.

Support and Guidance has been almost perfect with a number of points of contact always being available to speak to, as well as an openness to listen to my ideas and take time out to help me understand things. I also have regular meetings with my supervisor for them to provide me with useful feedback and things I'm doing well.

Most of the time the workload was very manageable and interesting, often having a couple of different things to do each day that I would start in the morning and was usually able to finish by the end of the day. However, some days were a bit busy or a bit slow which was understandable due to projects being at different stages of progress.

I was put in a position as if I was a normal employee, working on reviews and projects much like the rest of my colleagues. Through this I was able to get an understanding of the overall process of projects that my team went through and have contributed significantly to these projects.

The teamwork skills developed from working within a team that is so dependent on one another is a skill that will prepare me well for future work. The analytical and document preparation skills are also valuable especially for my degree as they will help me with essay writing and group projects.

The office atmosphere was really nice as it felt very open and comfortable, as well as being quite informal. It was easy to have a quick break or a quick conversation when people needed a bit of a break from work, and there wasn't any significant pressure or tensions within the office.

Organisation was well managed and very clear most of the time. It was generally made clear what events were happening and what the interns needed to do, though email communications sometimes didn't provide small bits of information that needed to then be queried afterwards. This wasn't common though so overall the organisation was pretty good.

It felt as if there was significant investment in the interns, providing us with a lot of events and talks with important people within the company. As with most internships, they are generally good stepping stones onto the graduate programme and it is clear that Barclays invests in their interns so that they can develop and hopefully come back as graduates.

The future employment prospects are very positive, with a focus on the graduate scheme and then full time work within the company. The level of mobility between roles and ease of access to information to learn about what is available means one does not have to be certain of what they want to do when applying.

There was a good social scene with most of the interns in the team being put in contact with one another and often organising to meet up after work, sometimes going for drinks after work on a Friday. In addition to this there were some social events organised by other colleagues that interns attended.

Cannot comment on living costs as was commuting from home however food costs were a tad expensive. This is expected though due to being in the centre of an expensive city. It was not too expensive to meet up for a coffee or drinks and socialise, but food could at times be somewhat expensive.

I have not spent much time exploring the nightlife in the area due to a significant commute home, but from what I have heard the nightlife is reasonable in nearby areas although people tend to go towards the more well known nightlife areas within London if looking for nightlife after work.

There were a number of events held outside of work, as well as a fair few active sports clubs and societies meaning there was often something to do outside of work. I wouldn't go so far as saying endless opportunities but there was fairly reasonable choice and often at least one thing to do most afternoons after work.