Spring Week- Front Office Review

Overall, I really enjoyed the week. There was a wide variety of activities on offer which made it more interesting. The only negative was that at time, it felt a little overly competitive as we all knew the potential offer for fast-tracking at the end of the week but this was not of too much detriment to the overall experience.

Whilst we did not add any value to the firm in terms of anything we did, Barclays makes you feel as if the interns and graduates are very important to their future. From the quality of the week it is clear that they invest a lot of time and money into the programme and therefore I felt valued.

We received extensive guidance and support throughout the entire course of the week. The first 3 days were fully focused on giving us information about the 3 main sectors within front office and a lot of guidance within each of these days was offered. Moreover, we were told about the further internship opportunities and ways in which to progress our careers in banking. Skills that are valued to each sector were also detailed and all representatives from the firm were more than willing to answer any questions.

The skills developed in terms of networking and presentational skills will be useful into the future. Furthermore, I went into the week knowing comparatively little about the banking industry, such as the structure and changes taking place in banking, and therefore this information will assist me improving my general industry awareness. Insight into the types of interview questions and assessment centre style were also given which will be beneficial.

Very well structured - a comprehensive timetable was provided at the beginning of the week detailing all activities. The first three days involved presentations and workshops in the three main business areas and the final two days involved work shadowing and presentations. There was also a networking evening.

Good in general, everybody was very friendly but this was reduced slightly by the emphasis on the fast-tracking from day one which gave a competitive nature to the week.

They invested quite a lot in order to give us experience of assessment centres, networking, interview practice etc.

The work shadowing on the final two days, which were also based in the Barclays offices, gave a good indication on what it would be like to work full-time at the firm.

The cultures were strongly emphasised and communicated throughout as something that Barclays is now striving towards strengthening.

Very valuable - I was able to understand the availability of roles better, the skills needed for each and ask questions to various representatives from different departments. Furthermore, the work shadowing gave a greater insight into the two areas most interesting to me to help me understand if this is an area I want to work in.

We were paid £250 for the week to cover expenses and were provided accommodation (if we lived 1.5 hours away from Canary Wharf) as well as travel to and from the programme on the first and last day. Lunch and breakfast was also provided each day.

Yes, there was one networking drinks evening and also each day a large scope of representatives came and talked to us. Often this was within small groups on a rotational basis which gave more time for individual questions. Work shadowing also enabled us to meet more employees.

There was only one networking evening which gave us time to ask questions and network with the business areas we were interested in. We gave them our details so they could make comments back to HR.

To some extent - some employees took language courses and the involvement with charity projects also were explained.

Yes, definitely. It is a great platform for your future career in banking.