Summer Technology Intern - Developer Review

The experience was great, I have learnt a lot about Barclays, banking and economics. The HR department were very good, organising many events such as speakers for the company and networking events. The Barclays Beyond the Office (BBTO) is group of clubs and great to get involved in. They host many clubs, and the Wakeboarding club even organised an event especially for Tech interns which was awesome.

The team were all extremely nice and willing to help. However, as interns we could not do any tasks the Team were doing - since it would take too long to train us. Due to this we were tasked with a insignificant project. This meant that we were not adding much value to the team, except from saving time replying to emails.

My manager would give great support, and was always willing to answer any questions that I had. However, he could only due this when he was free. Unfortunately, due to the desk which we worked on this was rarely the case. Many times meetings would be delayed, and due to the sensitivity of certain tasks I could not move forward without their approval.

Some days would be very busy; other days would be almost empty. The days that were busy would only ever be busy by setting myself meetings, shadowing and organising events. The project work itself was fairly minimal, usually having to wait for replies. This free time in a way was useful, since I could use it to gain a broader understanding of the business and determine the desk that I wish to work at.

The responsibility of my work was minimal to my team’s role, however, it was significant to the banks running. There were times where if I made a mistake, and this wasn't checked properly by management that I could prevent certain parts of the bank from functioning. This in itself was exciting, yet scary, placing a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and forcing me to triple check all of my decisions.

The technical skills which were developed were only on the IT side, the developer side was almost non-existent. This itself was a shame, however, the business skills learnt and knowledge gained about a bank's structure and the finance industry where superb. This would definitely be useful for working in the finance industry and/or in any large company.

The atmosphere was perfect. Everybody was ready to work and focused on their work, but in a very relaxed manner. People were always willing to help and talk to you about their role within the bank. Everybody was eager to learn and do well whilst helping others. This was independent of age, profession and seniority.

There were a few interns placed in incorrect positions - that is developers in analyst positions and vice versa. This was a shame since there was no ability to move desks, and definitely ruined certain intern's experiences of the company. Apart from this the HR organised great events, activities and talks with senior figures internal and external to the company. So apart from the initial desk slip-up it was very well organised.

The company definitely invested a lot our into our experience. This was not in the form of training our developing abilities, but it was in expanding our knowledge on the FinTech industry and Barclays itself. These sessions were always very interesting, such as the ones on Machine Learning, Fraud and Innovation. The open access to their courses on finance was also great for learning.

Future employment looks good, however, you should definitely use the internship/graduate scheme to speak to other desks. This will allow you to find a desk that you are interested in and whose team you fit into well. The graduate scheme is a great opportunity to get onto, and allows for 1 year rotations which is great for experiencing different desks and learning more about the company.

The social scene is what an intern makes of it. There were a couple of interns who never put any effort into socialising. But the rest of the interns did. We would regularly go to activities after work together and for drinks. Interns regularly met up for lunch which was great. And there were always drinks on Friday. If you got stuck in, the scene was fantastic.

As expected in Canary Wharf the cost is very high. Due to this some interns could not keep up with all the events, which was sad. But this was helped due to the internship being paid, and a savvy choice of bar (as interns we regularly went to Wetherspoons). Some of the Barclays Beyond the Office clubs also organised cheap socialising events - such as BBQs - which was great.

Personally I think the night life in Canary Wharf is fantastic. All the bars are filled with a great atmosphere and during the summer everyone is out on the paths drinking and overlooking the water. There are lots of bars and eateries, which is great. There are not any clubs, but being in London you can easily jump on the tube and find somewhere.

There were always opportunities, just go to the Barclays Beyond the Office web page to find a list of clubs. Some of these occur weekly. There are also lots of activities around London that you can go to with other interns and start your own club (we regularly went to Mile End Climbing Wall). There are also volunteering opportunities like helping at a Hackathon.