Corporate Banking Summer Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship so far. I have been given a wide range of work to complete and have been exposed to a variety of opportunities, from playing cricket for a corporate team, to meeting high profile clients. Barclays have also been helpful in providing information and advice on career paths. While meeting senior members of the Bank, I have learnt about a number of different divisions and been given useful advice on my next steps.

I have felt very valued by the colleagues on my immediate team. They have been very appreciative of the work I have completed, as it has freed up some of their time for other important tasks. Furthermore, with July and August being a busy time for holidays, I have been able to cover some of my team in providing customer support; again this has been greatly valued.

My Line Manger interacts with me most days, having set my targets for the internship, he usually makes sure that I have work to be doing for each of these, and involves me where he can in meetings, email chains and conference calls. Moreover, other members of the team have taken roles to supervise my work, offering support if needed and delegating tasks to me as well.

At the start of this internship my workload was fairly small and I was sometimes hoping for more tasks. However after the initial learning period, and slightly more initiative on my part, I now have a consistent work load, with 6 larger projects to work on throughout the 9 weeks, and every day different smaller jobs such as responding to customer requests, pulling together PowerPoint presentations for conferences or helping a range of colleagues by completing excel spread sheets.

I have been surprised by the level of responsibility I have been given. With a member of the team leaving just before my arrival, I have been picking up much of her work stream, by managing requests from customers, a group email account for the team and collating important spread sheets. Furthermore, I have been trusted to attend important meetings with clients and interact directly with them throughout my internship.

The skills I have learnt here at Barclays have been vital for starting my career. Before this internship, I had little experience working for a longer amount of time in a leading financial institution. I have learnt a range of new skills, from conducting myself in the workplace, to complex banking procedure. These skills may assist me in my degree, but post-graduation will be when they are most important. My target it to be accepted on to the graduate scheme at Barclays where the skills learnt on the internship will be invaluable.

The atmosphere in my office is very professional yet friendly. My colleagues are always willing to offer me advice, or help me complete a task. While the working atmosphere is maintained throughout the day, there is also time to build relationships with other members of the team and enjoy working at Barclays.

The Barclays Graduate Team has been excellent in organising the scheme. There has been a high level of correspondence throughout to ensure that the Internship runs smoothly. I have also enjoyed additional events designed for the Interns only, which have assisted my development at Barclays.

The two training days at the start of the Internship set me up well to begin work. Due to the fact that the internship is only 9 weeks, there is limited training or professional qualifications on offer; however we have been informed of these opportunities that exist on the Graduate Scheme, if we are to be successful in securing a place on this scheme.

Future employment prospects are very appealing with Barclays. My target from the Internship is to be accpeted onto the Graduate Scheme. We have been given strong advice on how to try and achieve this goal. The Graduate Scheme is appealing due to its rotation nature, giving Graduates wide experience, and other benefits such as professional qualifications.

There is a strong social scene amongst the PCB interns. I live outside of London and commute in, so it is sometimes difficult to attend all the events planned. However if you are planning on living in London during the internship, the social side is excellent, with interns meeting mainly on Fridays after work and the weekend.

The cost of living and working in London is very high. The office being in Canary Wharf means that lunches and travel are expensive too. Having said this, Barclays compensate very generously, including a relocation allowance to cover such costs.

In Canary Wharf there are many suitable bars, pubs and restaurants for Interns to socialise at. On a Friday after work, the social scene in Canary Wharf is fairly lively. There is also the option to travel to other excellent locations a short tube ride across London.

There are many opportunities to become involved in outside of work. I was invited to play in a cricket match for a corporate team at Barclays. There are also charity events, other sports teams and quiz teams available for colleagues after work or on the weekends.