Coporate Banking Review

I really enjoyed my time at Barclays. I was given a healthy amount of responsibilities and the people I worked with were really friendly and helpful. My objectives set by my Line Manager helped me to understand Barclays products and their structure. The working hours were also very reasonable and I definitely enjoyed spending time with the other interns after work.

My colleagues were always very respectful and even though I just started this position, they made me feel like I was already part of the team. My work has always been valued and though I made some mistakes along the way, they were always very understanding. The hierarchy was very flat overall and even the MD/D and "Head of ..." made time for me to have a talk and share their experience. Overall, a very humble and down-to-earth atmosphere.

My line Manager was always very supportive and understanding of my little experience in this field. He always made sure that I understood the task given to me completely before I started. He also made always time for me to explain things and give me feedback on my work. Overall, I do not have a single negative thing to say about my line manager. I am very lucky!

I would say it was a healthy amount. I was busy enough to have a whole to do list but not being stressed over it. I always had to afinish a bit later ( on average 30/and hour later) but that was normal as my team usually stayed an hour later as well.

I was given a reasonable amount of responsibilities considering the experience I did not have in this position. My line manager always made sure to give me tasks that made me feel like I contribute to the team. Usually those task were not that hard but very time consuming and as he did not have time for that, he trust me enough to finish those tasks.

I definitely learned some excel and power points skills. But overall the internship at Barclays gave me a different outlook on life, especially as this was my first full-time job. I also gained a good understanding about the banking world and how many possibilities there actually are if you keep your eyes open.

It was a very nice atmosphere. As already mentioned the people are very down-to-earth and humble. Everybody took time to get to know me and make me feel welcome. I also had a variety of tasks which overall made my experience very interesting and refreshing. Reaching our for help was not a problem.

The placement was very well organised. We had weekly meetings, where senior colleagues from different divisions came, answered our questions and gave us an insight into their day-to-day life. There were also couple socials offered. However, they usually were really fast booked out, which was a shame. I wished we would have given more opportunities to get to know the other interns.

The HR gave us plenty of opportunities to get to know other divisions and encouraged us to reach out. I also found an academy online which I used to enhance my knowledge in all the products we offer. Overall, I would say that since I have been only there for around 2 months I am not in the position to judge on that.

If I get an offer after my internship, I most likely will take it. I had a great experience and the fact that Barclays has so many different positions in so many different locations, is what truly appeals to me as it gives me plenty of opportunities to grow and develop my skills.

I would say it was alright. I was trying to socialise with the interns but most of the times only 2 or 3 people showed up. I created a group and tried to get as many interns on board as possible but I think most interns did not come because we all did not know each other very well. However, towards the end more people showed up to meetings.

The cost of living was very high as I tried to lived near Canary Wharf to get to work within 30min. Thus, my accommodation was not the cheapest. I also had to pay for the monthly travel card. And a usually night out would cost me around 20£ (including food, drinks and uber).

I did not have time to see the nightlife. I am sure it is great but I just was too tired to go and explore after work. I am the more relaxing person (reading a good book, or meeting friends for dinner) anyways so I can not comment on that to be honest.

Yes, I went to a lot of seminars on the weekends. London has so many free things to do, I really did not know where to start. I was going to the park daily for a walk after work and I have a lot of shops and restaurants near me to go for dinner.