Operations Analyst Review

Really enjoyed the virtual internship, overall a valuable and enriching experience where I learnt a lot not only about the bank but a variety of networks, gaining skills that will aid me outside of the internship and later on in my career. You get a feel that everyone is encouraged to be who they are, there is a big stress on well-being and flexibility and you really get a lot of interaction with your team and senior management. Despite being a virtual internship we were made to feel included and have plenty of opportunity to connect with others.

I felt a sense of membership in my team and was always able to give my input and feel heard. My manager was really supportive and made sure I felt included and was able to connect with the wider team. There were plenty of opportunities to connect with other members in the Bank and the intern cohort where we were able to get to know each other better over video meetings, social sessions and workshops. My manager was always showing appreciation for the work I contributed to the team as well and senior members often showed the same hard work recognition to the intern cohort.

My manager was very supportive throughout the internship and ensured I was able to commit to the activities that were scheduled throughout the day as well as project work that was set for the team. I always felt I knew what I was doing each day and what was expected of me and at the same time not feeling under pressure or unable to fulfill any commitments. Especially during the start of the virtual internship there were a lot of technical difficulties and my manager was really understanding and patient.

I truly believe the sessions we were involved in, the workshops on outside of work topics e.g. fraud and scams awareness and excel skills training will aid us in the future and are directly applicable to our university studies. Networking with senior individuals, setting up meetings and effectively managing your own working day whilst being given responsibility will be useful to be in my long-term professional career as well as academic life. Being set objectives to reflect on each week and review to ensure they were met at the end of the internship was very useful in improving my ability to reflect and improve, a skill of which will help me in any situation.

The virtual internship was structured really well with plenty of activities scheduled throughout the six weeks such as training sessions, exposure to the bank's community involvement, panel events and opportunities to network and socialize virtually. I always felt like I was learning new things and there was something interesting in my day without too much to attend to the extent that I was overwhelmed. In that sense there was a good balance of social events, project work, reviews and training to keep us engaged.

There was generally a really positive and inclusive atmosphere throughout the internship. From everyone I spoke to including the HR team, senior management, my team members, graduates and all the support networks I could feel a really friendly culture and only came across people who were willing to help and encourage you. There were always times when I could give my input, give feedback or ask for help which made me feel heard and that the bank cared about improving not only its services but its people and their well-being.

The HR team organised various virtual sessions and workshops we could attend such as Internship development sessions to assist us in our personal development inside and out of work. As well as excel training sessions and wider knowledge workshops where we could pick up skills and knowledge to help us in our academic and future career. We were assigned graduate buddies and mentors who kept in regular contact with us to enrich and support our internship experience so that we could reap the most out of the six weeks.

A lot of the training and project work I was assigned was the same or very similar to that of more experienced members in the team. I was involved in the same training sessions and team meetings as other experienced team members and had exposure to senior management and any member of the company I wished to speak to. I was given the responsibility to manage my own day and diary and organize my project work around meetings. I had access to the same systems and emails as other full time members of the company and was able to navigate between files myself.

I was really able to get a good feel of the company culture and how each Barclays value falls into play and is demonstrated by the people who work there. Everyone I met from senior management to HR to my team members were friendly, energetic and willing to give helpful guidance and their time to talk or connect. Working in my role I was able to see first hand the importance placed on integrity, respect and stewardship as well as excellence and providing a high standard of service to clients.

I was able to build a deeper understanding at the end of the virtual internship about what working in Operations like and the different roles within the function of the bank. From working on real life projects and having a many opportunities to talk to members from other areas of Operations I was able to learn about a variety of roles. We attended workshops to better understand how the bank operates, the range of community initiatives it is involved as well as the support provided to colleagues and the rate of career progression.

I was paid pro-rata for the six weeks of the virtual internship on a basis of the pay for the original nine weeks scheduled for before the pandemic. We were paid for relocation costs and holiday days if we did not take them. I felt the pay was very good and competitive and sufficient for the work we were doing. Payroll and HR were very good at answering inquiries and dealing with payslips and other payroll issues that arose.

There were various virtual meetings organised for the interns to attend in which we were able to connect with a range of different employees. From speaker sessions where we could hear about the career journeys of directors and managing directors and ask them questions to graduate panels who were involved in BAME and gender networks. We were invited to attend webcasts to hear from members of the Group Executive committee and attend several virtual networking events with the global intern cohort in the US. Each morning we had scheduled catch up sessions with the intern cohort and where we could get to know each other better.

There were a variety of networking and social events organised by HR including virtual socials where we could play musical bingo in smaller virtual break out rooms and virtual games where we came together with the US intern cohort. We were able to connect with the other interns, despite it being a virtual internship I still felt connected and part of a wider team. Each morning I attended a call with my larger team where we could catch up in a relaxed setting. We were encouraged to email people to connect and add others on LinkedIn.

We were exposed to the variety of networks Barclays supports and employees can get involved in. From hearing from graduate panels who talked about the work they do in the Black Professionals Network, the LGBTQ Network, the Gender Network and many others we were able to see how there is a stress on the importance of diversity and inclusion and being yourself at work. It was interesting to hear of the charity initiatives and community involvement from the Race at Work panel.

Overall, I've thoroughly enjoyed the six-week virtual experience and can see how it has added value to not only my professional but personal development. The HR team are very friendly, organised and exceptional at communicating, ensuring you have everything you need. There were plenty of opportunities to get involved in real-life projects, learn more about the company and role as well as network with senior members and other graduates and interns. The internship was well structured and ran very smoothly.