Summer Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my internship at Barclays in Corporate Banking. There was sufficient training and several networking opportunities before the internship started, and during it my team treated my as an integral member and entrusted me with real responsibility. There were also several organised events during the internship. I was able to utilise my skills and add value to the team, which gave me a great sense of achievement.

Barclays is known for its friendly and cooperative culture and this is especially apparent in Corporate Banking. I was treated very well by my boss and team members, was entrusted with real responsibility, and was given every opportunity to participate in onsite/offsite internal and client meetings. When I created a Macro which automates a process the team regularly performs, I was praised highly by the relevant team member, who even offered to give credit for me to the HR.

My boss had a newborn in the family during my internship and was covering several managerial roles due to attrition so the time I was given was limited. However, he still made sure that we had weekly one-to-ones and assigned an acting line manager for me when he was away.

The hours in Corporate Banking was very good as there were very few occasions where we had to stay late to finish work, but during the day I was fairly busy and always had things to do. Near the end of my internship, due to finishing off my project and preparing a presentation to other interns I stayed until midnight for very few times.

As I was in a front office sales team, the client relationships are managed by the relationship directors on the team and it was not very practicable to put me as an intern in front of a client. I spent much time assisting the RDs in the work by conducting research, drafting documents, conducting financial analysis, making pitchbooks, etc. There was a great variety of tasks on hand which kept me busy and refreshed.

By way of working I learned a lot about Corporate Banking and also banking in general which is very helpful as I study Economics and my third year extended essay is about financial markets. I also believe that I have improved my presentation skills, communication skills, and also time-management skills (maybe the most improved one). There was a Meet the Director initiative by which I met senior leaders in various functions of the bank and gained insight into their respective divisions.

As it was a front office, there were also people talking to each other, having meetings, or on the phone. It was a vibrant and energetic work environment. Everyone was friendly and approachable. The team was very sociable and included me in their activities. I had drinks/dinner/lunch with the team at several occasions.

It was generally very well organised although due to restructuring going on and people attrition there were last-minute changes or cancellations a few times.

I spent an awful lot of time meeting directors and managing directors, who explained their work to me and gave me advice. I was able to shadow other teams several times. The team even bought train tickets and lunch for me to take me to an offsite meeting in Birmingham. So I would say the firm was very willing to invest and help interns learn, it's just you need to ask.

I was offered a graduate role and I would happily take it.

As I said before everyone was fairly friendly and sociable. I did not notice and uncommon or weird social scene going on.

It was London so costs were fairly high, but I was given a generous housing allowance which effectively gave me free housing for the duration of my internship. I did not refrain from socialising at all for financial reasons.

The pubs in Canary Wharf get really busy on Fridays but the scene of the river was really good in the evenings. In London there were of course many great places to go.

There were many work-related activities such as drinks/lunch/dinners. There was also a table tennis league which I joined and played regularly on the 22nd floor. It was a great way to socialise with colleagues, especially from other divisions.