Compliance Analyst Review

The work wasn't what I had envisaged and wasn't as technical as I had expected. It was still interesting and enjoyable. The people were great and I was given the chance to tailor the internship to fit with my aspirations and personal objectives - this really impressed me given the size of the organisation.

My team was small, so it was really easy to feel valued by my colleagues. THis was especially the case since I didn't spend the nine weeks performing meanial tasks.

My line manager was great. She gave me enough guidance but allowed me to develop. I wasn't micro-managed which meant that I could pick up work from other teams. Furthermore she didn't spoonfeed me, which meant that I had to look for answers myself, which was a really good way to network and interact withother divisions and staff.

It varied. Initially it was relatively slow placed, but this was so I could spend time getting up to speed with the structure of the function and the external regulatory landscape. By the end of the week I had been set tasks and projects and was busy throughout. I expressed interests in other teams and so was given projects from them. Because my line manager was informed as to how much I was doing, I was able to manage my workload and wasn't overwhelmed.

I was given a lot of responsibility. I had my own tasks to perform and including working on a large project, which I presented to Managing Directors. My tasks weren't mundane and contributed to a tangible output that will be used even after I have left.

There was two days of training before we started in addition to pre-internship reading. I developed soft skills which will certainly help in futher studies, as I am a lot more efficient in terms of time management and far more organised. My technical skills will help in my career, and we were given lots of training sessions. Barclays also focussed a lot on skills that will help in the later stages of my career, which was impressive. I had a lot of access to senior management, who all gave really helpful advice on how to have a successful career.

The office is pleasant and the people are nice. It isn't hugely social, but was friendly. There were a summer drinks events across different teams, which was fun - but other than that the office is quite sedate.

HR made sure that there was a range of activities for us to engage in. They included division specific learning sessions, social and networking events and a 'citizenship challenge'. In the 'citizenship challenge', interns work in teams to solve a particular problem that a charity is facing.The range of events developed a range of skills. Unfortunately the IT services weren't great. I know that many people did not have computer terminals when they arrived and others did not work. Finally there were problems with access cards, with some interns using temporary passes for two weeks before a permenant pass could be issued.

There is training before, at the beginning and throughout the internship. It is a range of technical information about your role, specific information about Barclays and lots of softer skills. There is a lot of training that is given during the internship, with countless information sessions. There are also lots of resources on the intranet and beyond - so if there is something that you really would like to learn. (and you have a supportive manager) you can.

Really good. You have mid-internship and end of internship appraisals so you know how you are doing. This takes away any uncertainty and allows you to concentrate on the job without wondering if you are doing well. The graduate scheme looks great, there are three rotations and plenty of training.

The interns in my division were really social. We would often have picnics in the park, go for dinner and drinks.

It is central London, so it is expensive. Fortunately I am used to London prices and so wasn't shocked. Other interns were shocked! Also Barclays provide you with a generous accomodation allowance, which makes it far less painful.

I like Canary Wharf - others find it too artificial. There are lots of bars and there are nice parks which sometimes screen operas, Wimbledon etc. There are lots of things to do and there are always lots of people about.There just isn't the same diverse range of activites, that you would get if you worked in the City.

Quite a few - there are lots of networks and I know that interns also set up things like football tournaments. There was a social on the penultimate day for all interns. I still think that there could have been more events.