Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed working for a great company which have given me the option to network both within and outside of Barclays. I am still on contact with many people that I met in Barclays, ranging from other interns and grads to individuals higher up within Barclays.

I was treated exactly the same as graduates and other colleagues who'd been with Barclays for a great number of years. Everyone was welcoming and willing to help me with any issues, as well as being happy to just have a chat.

My line manager was fantastic. He gave me the opportunity to work both in a team and independently. He was easily approachable on a daily basis. The buddy system also gave me a chance to ask basic questions to someone who had been in a similar position.

I was fairly busy on a daily basis but this did vary quite a bit. Being in a regional location rather than London may have affected this. My work load was highly based on who I'd contacted the previous few days meaning some days were very busy involving lots of calls and meetings, whilst others consisted of mainly research and emailing.

I was given a fair amount of responsibility in that I was responsible for lots of the research I carried out for some projects meaning I had to contact lots of individuals off of my own back which I was happy to do. It was an ideal balance between feeling like I was making a difference to the team I was in, whilst not feeling like I could hugely damage the reputation of Barclays should I make a mistake.

I think the skills I have learnt will mostly help me after University. I study Economics which is rather relevant to the banking industry, however my degree is more mathematical based, unlike my internship. I do believe that both the hard and soft skills that I've learnt will really help me. I have become a far more independent and confident person, as well as developing skills such as PowerPoint and Excel.

I experienced working within multiple teams. Within every team I had the chance to have serious conversations with Directors and MDS, whilst also being able to have a relaxed conversation and atmosphere amongst colleagues.

The whole experience was really well planned out. Right from the week of training up to finding out if we would be offered a grad job, I always felt fully informed. The training was was very well organised enabling me to gain the best possible experience I could once the internship started.

Barclays supplied us with a day of presentation skills which taught us about their investment in helping us to develop a personal brand. This workshop enabled me to determine what I wanted to get out of the experience and how this could help me to expand skills. We were also given an excel workshop which was highly useful.

I am very much looking forward to joining the graduate scheme in 2015.

I socialised after work on a few occasions with other interns, mostly during training and I was also involved in some social sports through Barclays. I am still very much in contact with multiple other interns.

I was placed in Leeds which is a reasonably priced area.

The nightlife in Leeds is plentiful and varied, ranging from cocktail bars and pubs to clubs.

I socialised after work on a few occasions with other interns, grads and my team. I was also involved in some sports.