Operations Summer Analyst Review

The internship was really informative and packed with several intern events, speaker series, networking sessions, trainings etc. I learned a lot and enjoyed the process thoroughly, but the virtual nature of the internship was not ideal. I have dealt with multiple IT issues and they slowed me down. I also needed some time to adjust to working from home, and while adjusting to a team through a webcam is not ideal, we made it work and I loved my time at Barclays.

My project for the duration of this internship was to review procedures. The team I worked with always expressed their gratitude that I was taking on this piece of work, as it was something long overdue and needed to be done. They were really helpful throughout my entire internship, my colleagues supported me through the entire 6 weeks. They listened to my concerns and my feedback and I also received feedback from them. They valued my work and made me feel included.

I had regular weekly catch-up meetings with both my mentor and my line manager. During these informal sessions I updated them regarding my progress and I could voice any concerns or problems. They always gave advice, however most of the times this was 'indirect'. They usually referred me to someone else and this sometimes resulted in a circle of "please ask your line manager - please ask your coordinator - please ask your stakeholders - please ask the SMEs and then please ask your line manager again".

I was very busy during the internship but it was understandable due to the internship being shortened. It was manageable and I was able to achieve my objectives, however I did not have time to "think outside of the box" or just do some additional research, reach out to people to build my network, etc. I did not have time to take a step back and look at and reflect on my piece of work, how I'm doing, etc.

I was given the responsibility to manage my own time and to reach out to others for help, advice, etc. I also was fully responsible for my project and my progress regarding my objectives. Some things were harder than others as I was not given too much guidance. By the 3rd week of the internship I believe I got the hang of it and I became more confident in my work and in my worth as well.

The range of skills I have learned throughout these 6 weeks of the internship is unbelievable. I obviously learned a lot about the area I was in and my team, the procedures they do, etc. but I also learned a lot about the bigger pictures, how my team fits into the company as a whole. But more importantly I learned a lot of soft skills, and a lot more about myself. Leadership skills, communication skills, networking skills were all a focus of this internship. I also learned a lot of hard skills, e.g. Excel, financial markets training, etc.

The atmosphere was always really fun and welcoming. I felt included from the very beginning. My colleagues were all really fun and interested in my background, my experiences and my life in general. There was not much time to chat with my team outside of work, but it seemed like people within the team really liked each other's company. They were joking around and having a laugh a lot. There were weekly meetings just for letting off steam.

Due to the current pandemic and the nature of this internship it really felt like a test-run (which it was, undoubtedly). This sometimes resulted in conflicts and problems (mostly IT issues) and it was much harder to plan ahead. A lot of things were kind of "last minute", we didn't really receive a lot of information about schedule without asking. It made it really hard to manage our time. However, considering that this was the first time Barclays ran a virtual internship it went really well.

As interns we were provided with plenty of resources to develop ourselves. Throughout the many training sessions and panel events it was clear that Barclays values their interns and wants them to learn as much as possible. We were provided with lots of online resources to learn from in our own time and they were all incredibly useful. My line manager and mentor were always making sure that I'm constantly learning and getting feedback on my work.

It was clear from the beginning that there is a possibility for us to convert this internship into a graduate job. The process of this was however not really clear and was only clarified towards the end of the internship. We were introduced to a lot of current graduates and throughout multiple Q & A sessions we were able to ask them about their experience and if they had any advice for us. Those sessions were incredibly useful and I hope to be able to progress to the grad role.

We were obviously constrained due to the virtual nature of this internship, however we tried to make the most out of it. The EC team also made sure that we have some fun social events with our fellow interns, even with interns from the US. Those sessions were incredibly fun and we got to know our fellow colleagues. We also have our own intern groupchat where we are helping each other and sharing any useful information.

Since I was working from home - and so were all of my fellow colleagues and interns - this question doesn't really apply to my situation. During normal circumstances I would have needed to move to Glasgow, and Barclays was kind enough to give us a 2000 GBP accommodation allowance. We still received this amount, even though all of the interns were working from their home. Socialising online is way cheaper (i.e. free) than in real life.

Same as with the previous question. Since I was working from home - and so were all of my fellow colleagues and interns - this question doesn't really apply to my situation. There were no nighttime activities that I know of, neither online nor in real life. However, I must say that socialising online is way cheaper (i.e. free) than in real life, so maybe this is something to think of in the future - After work happy hour on zoom?

From the beginning of the internship we were bombarded with a number of activities and opportunities to get involved in numerous networks. We had lots of panel sessions, Q&As with people form all of these different networks, like WIN, Emerge, Spectrum, etc. It was very clear that Barclays values their employees and wants to build a strong community outside of work as well. There were tons of volunteering opportunities, sports teams, charity events and many more that an employee could join.