Marketing Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed the virtual experience and Barclays did a really good job of making the summer internship virtual. Many other companies cancelled their programmes, so it was a privilege to have been able to gain such valuable experience. I met lots of people virtually and everybody was really friendly and helped me to settle in. However, it would have been great to meet everyone in person, had the current climate been different. I have had such a great experience and I would love to get a place on the grad scheme and continue my Barclays journey.

I really valued my time at the firm because it was the most hands-on work experience I have ever had. This year was the first time that my specific team have ever taken on a summer intern. However, they did not make me feel like an intern because they were letting me get involved in real team projects. I felt that the work I was doing was adding value to the business and I wasn't just doing pointless tasks, which is the classic stereotype of being an intern. Barclays made me feel like an employee and not just an intern.

I received lots of guidance/support during my internship and felt very comfortable in my team. Everyone who I met was really friendly and willing to give up their time to speak to me and aid my understanding of Barclays and its complex structure. My line manager was amazing and was always on hand if I needed anything. We had regular meeting to discuss projects I was working on, as well as meetings to discuss my progress and whether I was working towards my objectives.

The skills which I developed throughout the internship are hugely applicable to my degree studies and beyond. Through working virtually, I have become more resilient because solving tech issues has been a key challenge throughout the internship! I have also developed my communication and team-working skills because a virtual internship is completely new territory for me and I have never had to build professional relationships entirely remotely before. I have also learnt about the whole marketing process, which will help me with my degree because it makes it more memorable when you can learn about it in a practical way.

The virtual experience was really well structured. We had an induction day on the first day with all of the other functions summer interns, which was ran by HR and the recruitment team. Then on the second day we went straight in to working in our specific teams. My line manager arranged lots of meetings for me to meet the rest of the team, so that I could learn more about the team structure and what everyone does. We had to set objectives for the internship, which mainly relate to my projects and we have had regular meetings to make sure that I am on track. I have felt very well supported throughout the whole process. We also have an end of internship review at the end of our final week, with the opportunity to progress to the grad scheme.

HR and my team did their best to create an atmosphere during the virtual experience. E.g. through virtual team socials and virtual end of internship drinks. However, due to the virtual nature of the internship, there was probably not as much of an atmosphere as there would have been if we had been in the office. We definitely met fewer fellow interns than we would have done if we had all been together in Canary Wharf. However, given the current circumstances, Barclays did really well.

The company invested a lot in to us in terms of personal training and development. We had lots of training sessions on leadership, Excel and financial markets. I was also given lots of opportunities to work on real projects. This helped me to develop lots of new skills. Everyone was really friendly and even people outside of my team were willing to train me in areas I was unsure on. This included specific IT skills, which helped me in my projects.

The virtual experience definitely helped me to understand more about what it would be like to have a full time role with the company. I met people from a range of areas across my function, from all different teams and everyone talked about what they do in their day-to-day role. We also learnt more about the structure of the grad scheme and spoke to lots of grads both past and present, to learn more about their experiences.

I learnt a lot about the company culture because of the huge range of people across the business I was able to meet. We met people at all different stages of their career, which really helped us to gain more of an insight into the company culture. The Barclays values (RISES acronym) are also very transparent in outlining the company culture. Obviously we would have got more of an insight into the culture if we had been in the office, however luckily I participated in the Spring week programme, so I have visited the Barclays headquarters before.

This internship confirmed for me that I definitely want to pursue a career in marketing and that Barclays is a really good company to work for. However, we were also able to have the opportunity to network with people from external creative agencies, which broadened our perspectives on marketing and gave us an insight into potential other career paths. The virtual internship content was really valuable in convincing me that I would love to participate in the Barclays graduate programme.

I was paid really well for this internship. The initial duration of this internship was supposed to be 9 weeks and we were to be paid in full, plus relocation expenses. However, due to the corona virus pandemic, the internship was shortened to 6 weeks. We were extremely fortunate because Barclays said they would honour our initial contract. They are paying us our relocation expenses because of the unprecedented circumstances, even though all of us are working from home.

There were so many networking opportunities. I have met people from across the bank, at all different stages of their career. I was able to ask lots of questions, which gave me an even greater insight into the company's culture. I think that the virtual aspect of the internship definitely made it easier to network because people were more than happy for you to put a 30-minute chat in their diaries. I got added in to so many project meetings at the start of my internship too, which may not have been possible in the office, due to limited room capacity. However, this gave me a real insight into the work which my team do and helped me to meet lots more people.

There were lots of networking opportunities. We were even able to meet people at director and managing director level. I networked with people outside of my team, which helped me to learn more about the various areas within my function. This will help if I am successful in progressing to the grad scheme because you have to choose what areas you would like to do a rotation in. We were also allocated a senior mentor and a graduate buddy, which was really useful because they worked in a different area of the bank and could introduce me to their network.

There are volunteering opportunities available where employees can get paid a couple of days a year to volunteer outside of the office and give back to the community. There are also networks available, which seem to be a bit like university societies, that employees can join and get involved in. These networks promote diversity inclusion and raise awareness of social issues and injustices. We had talks from various representatives of the networks, which was really interesting.

I would definitely recommend this virtual experience to a friend and I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to gain such valuable experience. Most of my university friends have had their summer internships and industrial placements cancelled because of COVID-19, whereas I have had this amazing opportunity. The virtual internship has been really informative and I have really enjoyed working alongside my team. It has also kept me busy during lockdown! This is the second time I have done work experience with Barclays, as I also completed the spring week last year. I believe that they provide excellent opportunities for young people.