Summer Intern - Human Resources Review

The internship was a great experience overall. The work was varied and engaging, and the atmosphere in my team and department was supportive, open and friendly.

I felt very welcomed and valued by my colleagues. I was assigned a buddy and a line manager before the internship began, and was introduced to my team and key contacts in other teams in my first week. I was encouraged to ask questions and was very impressed that everyone seemed to have time to talk to or help me, despite the demanding nature of their own work.

I was given sufficient support by my team, especially from my line manager and buddy.

There were very rare moments when I didn't have enough to do, especially in my last week, but this is perhaps to be expected during an internship. The majority of the time I was very busy, but due to the support of my team and the atmosphere within the office I never felt overly pressured or stressed.

I hope that the interpersonal and technical skills I developed during the internship will help me in my further studies and career. I felt that in particular I improved my communication, time management, research and persuasive skills during my time at Barclays.

The general atmosphere in the office was very positive and calm - although I wouldn't say that the fun never stopped, since there was obviously a great deal of work to do!

The overall internship was very well organised. We spent the first three days training and networking, then on the fourth day we met our teams. There were regular social events planned for us, which ran seamlessly, including various speaker events, networking breakfast and lunches and intern events, including one at Kensington Roof Gardens.

Canary Wharf is fairly expensive compared to other areas of the country, but it's definitely possible to live well, go out frequently and not bankrupt yourself.