Corporate Banking Summer Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship at Barclays; in fact I wish I could have stayed longer! I was highly impressed by the organisation of the intern programme itself, I was always kept up to date before I started and had the opportunity to meet my fellow Corporate Banking interns before the initial training week. As an intern, I was given the same level of responsibility as a graduate meaning I was constantly challenged but also constantly supported by the rest of the team.

My colleagues were fantastic, I was the first intern they have had in their team and every single person took the time to make me feel at home (including the regional managing director). My role had a fairly steep learning curve, so I quite often found myself asking questions and despite being very busy with their own roles, colleagues always took the time to answer them.

I couldn't have asked for better line managers! Despite being very busy themselves, they always made time for any questions I had and were constantly providing feedback for me. The level of encouragement I received from them was outstanding, and I have been in contact with both since completing my internship to provide support and guidance on my career plans.

The objectives I was set meant that I had a lot of learning to do within the first few weeks which kept me fairly busy. Once I had settled into my role I was able to organise my workload so that I could take on extra responsibilities and really challenge myself.

I was given the same level of responsibility as a graduate during my internship. I was trusted to work independently from the start which suited me perfectly! When I felt comfortable within my role my line managers were very happy to give me more responsibilities.

I think that softer skills that I developed during my internship will really help me over the coming years; in particular the networking skills I developed will undoubtedly be very helpful! I was fairly unsure about exactly how to network before joining Barclays but the opportunities provided definitely boosted both my networking skills and confidence.

The office had a warm and friendly atmosphere from my first day until my last day. Everyone in my immediate team made me feel very welcome, as did everyone else on my floor.

The level of communication throughout was excellent. Being the only Corporate Banking Intern in Scotland I was concerned that I would miss out on activities and events but I got dial in details to all the important speaker events and invites to the events alongside the Operations & Technology Interns based in Scotland.

Before even starting my internship I had online learning modules to complete and my initial week was spent in London for training alongside all of the other interns. The initial training week was intense but covered topics that proved very helpful during the duration of my internship; especially the excel training. Throughout the duration of my internship I had opportunities to attend a variety of other development events.

I was offered a place on the Graduate Scheme.

The interns based in Glasgow this year were very sociable; in fact we went out after work to catch up every Friday and often met up for lunch. I was also invited out along with the other interns for socials with the current graduates despite being in a different area of the bank.

I commuted from home for the duration of my internship but socialising in Glasgow is not too expensive and there is a variety of bars & restaurants close to the office, something to suit everyone.

There numerous bars & clubs in Glasgow with something to suit every taste, this summer the nightlife was even better because of the atmosphere the Commonwealth Games brought.

There were organised social events outside of work for all of the interns based in Glasgow and we opted to take part in a charity event as well. Overall, plenty to get involved in!