Summer Intern Review

The internship required hard work, large amounts of dedication and a lot of concentration at times, however it was always fun. Both the other interns and people I worked for were great people to spend significant parts of the day with. Barclays offers a fun environment in which to work.

Colleagues never treated me as an intern, and rarely referred to me as one. As far as they were concerned I was there to complete work for them and they always trusted my ability.

Despite being set arduous tasks that often seemed overwhelming, I never felt stressed. The support and guidance I was given was exceptional and constant. You feel like you are being trained by the best in the field and there is a strong mentoring culture at the bank.

This was my greatest concern before starting; not being set enough work and having to find things to do. However, as soon as the initial training program was over, you are set a few large projects that will take most of the internship along with ad hoc tasks set by your desk along the way. There wasn't a single moment up till the last day when I felt I truly had nothing to do.

I was given a number of opportunities to take on responsibility. The more reliable and efficient you prove yourself the be, the more responsibility you are given. Very meritocratic culture, regardless of whether you are an intern or a managing director.

I learnt invaluable skills that will definitely contribute to my success in the banking sector. However, in this instance, nothing I learn will be directly applicable to my degree studies. Not everyone one learns working at a bank is directly to do with markets or the economy.

The atmosphere in my team was always a lot of fun. While everyone was always busy, working on distinct tasks, there were often work streams that concerned everyone and thus there was always a collaborative atmosphere.

The internships is very well structure and organised. One is kept well informed of important dates, significant events and there are numerous training opportunities one can partake in.

We were paid well, trained well, supported well so it is clear that Barclays invest a lot in what they refer to as the future of the bank. However, the firm could have allow interns to have more say in what team they were placed on.

Barclays offer successful interns with an opportunity to gain a place on their graduate scheme and this requires no further assessment.

Constant opportunities to social with the rest of the intern cohort and as it was relatively small, it allows you to know everyone and develop close ties. Opportunities to socialise with your team and be taken on client events.

Despite earning well, living and travelling within London drains most of one's income.

I don't think this is a particularly important or relevant factor when considering where you work.

Activites of all sorts.