Developer Review

The experience was better than expected and very enjoyable. At first there were lots of difficulties with getting virtual desktop interface set up and getting the necessary software installed on my virtual desktop. After these were sorted out the experience was quite smooth and similar to working in an office, using skype for brief messages and online meetings. I was able to work on interesting projects which were of value to the company and learn a lot as I did them.

I felt particularly valued by mine line manager who gave me lots of support throughout the entire internship. My work was quite separate from the wider team and so I did not interact with them much, but during our meetings felt that they took an interest in what I had to do and say and wasn't just there to listen in on the meetings. I was treated with respect by all colleagues and got the impression Barclays values their interns a lot.

I was very lucky in the line manager I got. This was not the case for everyone but my line manager and I had daily catch ups (these were even twice daily in the first few weeks). Found that he was understanding and helpful whenever I had questions and was able to teach and listen in on meetings I had arranged. Definitely feel I would have had a much less useful 6 weeks if I had a different manager.

The skills learned during this internship are not specific to my degree, but learning how to program is always helpful for STEM degrees. I am doing a computational project next year so programming experience will help a lot. The internship was much more beneficial for beyond my degree though because it gave me insight into a career in technology and developer experience as part of a team in a large organisation. Additionally learned about communication and networking which are also important.

The virtual experience had good structure in that we had many online speaker and training sessions planned which for the most part worked out well and were very helpful. The work structure for me was good because I had a good line manager who gave me lots of his time. This meant I had clear objectives and tasks which I could complete. At first due to IT difficulties the structure was not so good due to lack of software/vdi.

The atmosphere was in general friendly most of the time. Occasionally felt difficult to speak to new people and sometimes it felt a bit awkward especially with strong accents over a poor connection line. I managed to get used to this though eventually and it stopped being so awkward. I found speaking to other interns friendly as well and the virtual networking sessions were also friendly and relaxed. This was mainly due to having good speakers.

I feel like the company made a huge investment as me as I don't have a technical background so to employ me as a developer was a big gamble. The tasks I completed were straightforward but I learned a lot from them and they've improved by technical expertise massively. I feel as well that the time given to me by my manager was investment in me and that was a large chunk of his own work time.

I felt I got a good grasp of the company culture and expectations of me while completing the internship virtually. Many of my colleagues work in international offices and therefore I would not speak to them face to face anyway. I felt with colleagues who I only got to speak to on a one off basis it was awkward to interact with them and I'm not sure that it would have been the same if we'd met in person.

I feel like I got a very good understanding of the company culture, though admittedly it would have been much better in person in the office. This is because I still was able to take part in out of office hour social events and was able to speak to other interns from different areas who could let me know what their area was like. Unfortunately I did not manage to meet with many new interns who I hadn't spoken to before.

I feel it was very valuable as I feel like the experience has taught me a lot about working in technology at the company despite the inconvenience of completing it online. I have still been able to produce useful work and take part in different meetings and listen in on a variety of business calls. I have also still been able to work and write useful code for the company which I could have done at the office, which has helped me decide whether I want to stay in tech.

Yes, we were paid the same sum of money we would have received for the nine week internship in London. This included the relocation money we were expected to spend on travel or rent for a property nearer the office. This was very generous of Barclays because we were working for a much shorter time and for most of us we were living at our home. I was very happy with the amount of money we received.

I feel that the company made a great effort to encourage networking and give us exposure to other areas of the banks and other colleagues within those areas. Much of this exposure was through speaker sessions and it was a bit passive at times. Near the end there were more opportunities to speak with colleagues directly and ask multiple questions in one sitting. There was also an initiative to let us meet directors of managing directors.

I felt these were very helpful most of the time and the choice of speakers were very good. It is very difficult to network virtually but the company made a good effort to facilitate these events. Sometimes it was quite awkward when there was silence on the calls and we were not sure who was going to speak next, but other than that the sessions were good. Some times the social aspects were a bit forced.

Yes, as one of our objectives was to take part in a social activity outside of work I was able to speak to colleagues within my department but not in my team. This gave me an opportunity to learn about them and their hobbies, which was very interesting. I found with most of my colleagues within my team it was difficult to learn about them as our team meetings were highly work focused and not much else was discussed.

Yes I would definitely recommend this experience to a friend as it was very helpful and the company but a great deal of effort into it. I have learned a lot about technology and working in technology professionally, as well as many other areas of the bank. The company culture was very nice and friendly and I was given lots of support from my line manager and mentor. Additionally I was well reimbursed and came away with lots of new skills and knowledge.