Corporate Banking Summer Analyst Review

Barclays Corporate was an excellent opportunity to get an understanding of the division as well as the firm itself. I however would liked to have felt more challenged than I did over the 9 weeks, to feel like I had gained more from the experience.

Although it took a few weeks, I felt incredibly valued by my team. When I had my leaving drinks, (which they all kindly paid for), I felt far sadder leaving than I ever expected, even though I was the intern I genuinely felt an important part of the desk and they said they would love for me to be back in the future.

My manager was incredibly busy and often not at his desk which often made it difficult for mid-term review etc. However he was clear in my overarching goals from the outset. Everyone senior (from recent graduate to directors) on my desk were happy to provide support especially when I was working with them on a project or deal.

It was very variable. Some days I would be constantly firing off emails and attempting to balance conflicting deadlines but I relished the challenge. Other days were the opposite and I would struggle to find things to do, which was far more tiring than being consistently busy.

Plenty. It was a mixture between working internally for projects and externally pitching for clients. Both aspects were of structural importance for the future performance of the desk.

Excel skills learnt were useful as were time management etc but not immediately transferrable to my degree course but will continue to be useful in my career afterwards.

My floor was fairly standard. An open plan office with kitchenettes around the workspace. Other floors had a more "creative" vibe which would have encouraged greater productivity in my opinion, but most of the things that I needed were there.

The internship was fairly well set up with "Meet The Director" scheme. However, the Corporate Banking events were few and far between, compared to the likes of say, Finance. Also a few of the events were cancelled over the internship for Corporate Banking which led to a feeling of a lack of cohesion in the interns.

We were given a pre-learning question software to attempt to prepare for joining. We also had 5 days of training at the start of the internship, providing us with excel skills, financial concepts and professional skills development

I was offered a place on the graduate programme which given the still uncertain job market is nothing to complain about! It does seem like a good place to pursue a career with opportunities t rotate in the first few years to find the area that suits your skillset most.

The social scene was OK but better in other divisions compared to Corporate Banking. I spent a lot of time with other divisions or most of my friends from other banks.

London is expensive, but that is to be expected

Canary Wharf is good for drinks after work but not really much more.

Volunteering and helping school age students were a big focus.