Summer Intern Review

Absolutely enjoyed it. What you learn in 9 weeks sticks with you through your journey, it may seem like a short time but their program is tailored in a way that you can pick up a lot.

I was trusted with work that contributed to the outcome of the department. They expect you to add value to the team and therefore assign you work to do so. It is also worth noting that you go in at a time that they are really busy.

There is a lot of support and guidance available from everyone around you. your colleagues, buddy, supervisor and recruiter are all willing to help whenever possible. I always had my questions answered, no matter how frequently I asked. Their advice and guidance is also valuable in how you approach the internship and the work environment itself. It's also upon you on how you use the support and guidance available to you.

I was fairly busy on all the days. Some days were busier than other days. That meant time spent at work also varied according to workload. Finance was more flexible than other departments though according to my experience.

I was given diverse work and responsibilites related to work. My responsibilities varied from doing Business as Usual work all the way to working on a particular project to present to the CEO in a meeting later. I believe you have to be flexible and adapt to the nature of work and responsibility given as per your manager's need.

I have picked up some really valuable skills, knowledge and experience that I am sure will be very useful for me in the future. There is a lot to learn around you and even though 9 weeks seems like a short time, plenty can be picked up.

I think the general atmosphere amongst most Finance teams is very calm. However, it was dependant on the workload and time of the month for deliverables. As such, everyone was really friendly and helpful. We had a lot of internal events in my department and had lot of opportunities to get to know everyone in my wider team.

I think the Internship was very well organised. It was evident that the Campus recruitment team had put a lot of work in to this scheme. We had sessions every week where we had the opportunity to learn from senior leaders across the oganisation. We also had various networking events to get to know people throughout the company.

I believe this is variable from team to team. You spend a great amount of time working in your team through the internship and therefore your manager and colleagues are responsible for walking you through tasks aand work. I never struggled regarding this and always thought my manager dedicated a good amount of time on me. As such, I would say Barclays invests a good amount of time and money into this scheme.

I think Barclays is a great company to work in. I believe the internship is a great tool to see if you fit in and if Barclay is the right company for you.

There is plenty to do interms of social activites in this area. Again, it is dependant on you and fellow interns on how you go about it. I met quite regulary with fellow interns and colleagues for after-work drinks through the week.

The cost of living in Canary Wharf is fairly hight compared to other areas, and understandably so with the area and upkeep. I would recommend you stay in East London(Mile End, Bethnal Green) and take the 15-20 minute bus ride to work every morning.

In terms of Clubbing, there is minimal activity in Canary Wharf. However, I did go out to other place with fellow interns. In terms of having after-work drinks, the area is brilliant for winding down after a long day.

There were plenty of opportunities to get involved in outside of work, especially with their citizenship programme. During the internship, we even got an opportunity to work directly ona project targeted to help a charity that Barclays was associated with at the time.