Summer Developer Intern Review

Very good experience. The company handled the COVID crisis incredibly well and ensured that we still got as close to a standard internship as possible despite the process being virtual. I met some incredible people and had a fantastic learning experience throughout my time with Barclays. The work was challenging but manageable, and there was always a range of people who were close at hand and more than willing to walk you through any difficulties. A fantastic working environment.

I always felt valued throughout the course of my experience at Barclays. I was treated professionally and respectfully, and my thoughts and considerations were treated as though I was a full-time employee instead of an intern. Neither my queries, requests, nor work were ever put to one side in favour of a full-time developer and so as a result I felt valued through the completion of all tasks executed throughout the course of the internship.

The guidance and support in this virtual internship was fantastic. With technical difficulties there were always full-time employees who were easy to contact and were more than happy and welcoming with taking time out of their day to walk me through any process. The company assigned me several special support positions such as a company mentor and buddy, who, along with the team I was involved me, eased my transition into the workplace and greatly benefitted my experience.

I learnt several new programming languages and skills throughout the course of this internship and I have no doubt whatsoever that they will be of tremendous use in my future career. The experience of working in such a large company was incredibly valuable and I feel that my conversations with colleagues at a variety of levels with Barclays will provide me with advice and guidance through the entirety of the rest of my career. For this I am incredibly grateful.

The experience was very well structured, with the perfect amount of time split between working within the team to which I'd been assigned and attending meetings that were directed towards my cohort of interns. We were provided with a timeline of activities and deadlines throughout the internship which helped us all feel on track and to know where we stood in terms of our progression. There was always something to be getting on with and it enabled me to maximize my experience throughout my time at the company.

The general atmosphere was fantastic, as well as I could have ever hoped given the COVID scenario. Everyone was extremely welcoming and open and, despite the internship being virtual, there was great emphasis on still building connections within the team and getting to know the people who I was working with on both a professional and a more personal level. Despite being unable to meet these people face-to-face, I feel that if I were to walk into the office with them tomorrow then I would feel truly part of the team.

The company invested a lot of time in my personal training and development. There were numerous intern cohort sessions which provided us with great advice ranging from topics including student loans and personal growth in the work place to more technical interests. Each intern was also provided with an account with numerous available learning courses which allowed us to develop our skills and ensure that there was always something to do and some way in which we could be improving ourselves.

I feel like I understand what it would be like to work in the Barclays workplace thanks to this internship. Whilst the in-person atmosphere is not easily replicable, I feel as though the internship has succeeded in giving me an impression of how the company operates and is structured and I would feel comfortable in my ability to move into a full time role if it were required. Advice and details about what it is like to work there in person is always readily available from mentors and colleagues.

Very much so, the company values were held to the highest importance and, when paired with working as part of a team of full-time employees, I feel that I truly benefitted from a great experience including all aspects of the company's culture despite it being virtual. There are certain aspects of a workplace that a virtual internship may never be able to truly replicate, but I believe that Barclays came as close as they could possibly be.

The internship allowed me to not only perform work and meet colleagues involved with my team directly, but to also contact and communicate with employees located in other areas of the company. As a result, in areas which I'm considering pursuing in my future career it was easy to contact someone from that department and talk to them to help get a better understanding of their role and if it would be an area which I would like to look into further.

Barclays was extremely generous and I am very thankful for this. Not only did they keep the internship running during COVID, but they also kept the pay consistent (including relocation payments) despite the internship being virtual and a few weeks shorter than intended. As a result, myself and I'm sure many of the interns truly strived to make sure that all of our time working for the company was productive and that we provided back as a thanks for their investment in us.

It was easy to meet fellow interns on the employees and even outside our own teams and reaches, there were several meetings encouraging networking which I was certainly grateful to utilize. There would have been more opportunities in an in-person internship, however, as this was not possible I can say that Barclays certainly did everything that they could to allow us to network. We were encouraged to speak to company directors and employees outside of our immediate teams.

It was easy to meet fellow interns on the employees and even outside our own teams and reaches, there were several meetings encouraging networking which I was certainly grateful to utilize. There would have been more opportunities in an in-person internship, however, as this was not possible I can say that Barclays certainly did everything that they could to allow us to network. We were encouraged to speak to company directors and employees outside of our immediate teams.

There were several talks on different events and societies which could enhance networking and allow employees to get involved in outside of the workplace. Each group was explained very well often by numerous speakers which addressed the intern cohort and there was a sense of real inclusion for everyone from all walks of life. In addition to this, I learnt from colleagues of activities which employees can get involved with to further build workplace relations.

I would absolutely recommend this experience to a friend, I cannot think of how a virtual experience in these times could have been better. I will forever be grateful for having the opportunity to work in this workplace and think it to be probably one of the best internships out there for anyone looking to move into the industry. The personal growth which it has allowed has been huge and I have carried advice and lessons from this internship throughout my career.