Insight-Front Office Review

I very much enjoyed the Barclays Front Office Spring Insight Programme. I got excellent exposure, as the Insight allowed for two 3-hour sessions of work shadowing in divisions according to your preferences. There was also an Oxyor trading game, and a wide variety of presentations.

I felt very valued. There were clearly a large amount of resources thrown at the insight program undertakers, from the venue, to lunch to accommodation. The most important resources though were the peoples' time.

A lot. There was guidance given on the program itself by HR, but also about fast-tracking and future opportunities throughout the divisions. I also feel that the guidance given by my peers helped me grow throughout group projects and the simulations we were tasked with completing over the days.

I think these skills will help me whether I continue with Barclays or not. The skills and information included networking, teaming and communication skills. This will be integral in my academics and work.

Clear schedule given at the start. There was also a lot of structure in the way that we were organized as groups and the networking with specific divisions.

Very positive atmosphere. Met a lot of people and feel that my contributions were well valued.

Lots of time and effort was invested. I feel that individual training and development was significantly valued and that Barclays really wants to invest in the future of the industry. That means investing in graduates.

It did indeed. The networking opportunities, work shadowing prospects, and the presentations with Q&A sessions meant that the amount of time we could use to ask questions about full time roles was very generous.

Culture is so important at Barclays because unlike other banks it has five key principles it developed. This makes it stand our from other banks. We got to understand this well as insight program attendees.

Very valuable. As mentioned previously, the shadowing, networking and Q&A were indispensable.

Well, we got 250 pounds to reimburse us, but we don't need to prove we spent that much. So it was essentially payment...

Yes. There was a lot of networking, exchanging business cards, and the like. Many employees gave their time.

Yes. 2 hours on Wednesday evening. This was prior to the shadowing, which made it very good.

Not specifically. There is a very dynamic culture, though.

Yes, definitely. This is an exceptional opportunity. Very competitive to apply for though.