Barclays Spring Insight 2015 - Front Office Review

I really enjoyed this insight, especially due to its rotational nature. As Barclays' Spring Insight Week covered all areas of the Front Office over the week, I found it not only helpful in deciding what divisions of the bank I might see myself applying to, but also in terms of eliminating areas that did not appeal to me as much. We were given a real platform over the week to network and to gain a real insight into what life would be like in each area from analysts, associates and indeed directors. We were introduced to a huge number of Barclays employees from across the whole bank, on top of a networking session which was organised where we could introduce ourselves to anyone we wanted to talk to or learn more about their role and work. The one thing I will say is that the days we focused on Markets (Sales/Trading/Reseach) and PCB (Personal and Corporate Banking/Wealth Management) were a bit more interactive in that we were given more informal face time with people who worked in the areas than we were in the Banking division, for which we had a more structured Q & A session, meaning I came away from Banking with a less rounded understanding of what they do as I now have for the PCB or Markets division. In terms of the work and exercises we have done over the week, I think they have been extremely helpful. We have done a number of simulations of what a real issue or problem or case in the office would be and we have had to work in groups to try to come up with a solution, or to present an idea back to a panel as we had to do with the sales exercise. This really allowed us to contextualize the descriptions and explanations people gave of the work they do as we could see exactly what type of projects they might have to deal with and how they might go about getting them done efficiently and successfully. In every bit of group work that we did we had a rep from Barclays at the table, who gave us feedback and steered us in the right direction if our thought process was straying from the correct solution of the problem. I think this offered an even better insight into the thought process one has to adopt on these projects, and allowed us to see what were the recurring concerns for the bank to address across all client-facing projects. Then on top of that, the group work with its less-structured nature has been a really interesting learning curve, where we have to do independent research on a subject that we might not have known that much about previously. The work-shadowing is obviously one of the most important things we do over the course of the week, and I believe it's important not only to see exactly the type of work being done in the bank but more importantly to see what the working culture and environment is like at Barclays.

I felt highly valued throughout the week, from the seniority of the people who came to talk to us right down to the sheer volume of Barclays staff who came to the networking event to talk to us and answer our questions. It was clear that Barclays wanted us to have a deep understanding of what they do and what we may do if we join them on an internship or graduate programme.

We received a good level of guidance during the insight. As I mentioned previously, we had a lot of face time with Barclays reps and employees throughout, whether we were networking with them and asking them questions or whether they were observing our small group exercises and guiding us in the direction of a solution. Any question we may have had over the week was answered immediately and succintly.

As I have only finished my Spring Insight Week, I am not sure exactly to what extent all my new knowledge will help with my studies but due to the fact that I am studying Finance and am infinitely more knowledgeable on the subject now than I was at the beginning of the week I believe and I hope everything I have learnt over this week, as well as my group work skills and presentation skills will come in useful down the line in my studies.

The whole week was extremely well structured, there was never a second where we didn't know exactly where we should be or what exactly we were doing. Everything ran very smoothly, giving the whole insight week a very professional edge.

The atmosphere was one of comraderie and support, which in fact surprised me a bit as I had thought it was going to be quite tense and competitive, what with everyone wanting to constantly impress. Everyone on the programme showed huge levels of support to each other and everyone respected everyone else's questions and opinions. Also the atmoshphere creating by the Barclays professionals was a very comfortable one, as they made themselves extremely approachable throughout the week.

The company invested massively in each of our development over the course of the week. The whole week was laid out in such a way that every person benefited from each exercise and every person could easily get involved, and indeed had to get involved. In terms of training it was introductory, showing that Barclays respected the limited amount of knowledge we may have had and never bombarded us with intimidating and technical terms.

I believe I have a much clearer idea of what it would be like to work at Barclays now, following the networking evening where I had the opportunity to ask people about their jobs, the informal networking that we did throughout the week whenever there were reps involved with our exercises, and also through the presentations we were made and the Q & A sessions organised for us.

There is huge emphasis on culture within Barclays, and every effort was made to really demonstrate this to us. I think I have an excellent understanding of Barclays' company culture now and the values that they do their all their work by.

All the content was extremely useful for me in choosing where I wish to apply to as I continue with progressing through internships and other programmes in banking. Due to the fact that we were offered insight into every area of banking, I was able to compare and contrast and really reflect on which area I believe would be the best suited for me.

I was reimbursed all expenses, which was extremely generous due to the fact that I was travelling from Ireland. I was also put up in very comfortable accommodation when I was here, and given a payment for expenses which easily surpassed what was really required for my expenses over the week.

There was huge opportunity to network with other employees of the firm, both informally when they came in to chat to us or to explain what they did and then again formally at the networking event where we had the opportunity to exchange business cards with employees so as to create relationships with people within the firm.

The networking event was much more comfortable than I expected, it was extremely well-ran and every Barclays representative seemed genuinely interested in talking with us.

As a prospective intern, this is a question I asked quite regularly, with a massively positive return. Most graduates and indeed most employees to get involved in some aspect of the social side of the firm.

I would definitely recommend the insight to a friend due to the fact that it gives you an unrivaled insight into all areas of the Front Office, and isn't too specific, as an awful lot of insights are.