Wealth Management Intern Review

I really enjoyed my time with Barclays. I was given great exposure to all areas of the business and the experience has certainly made me want to return to the company on a more permanent basis in the future. At times, I felt that the internship did not challenge me as much as I would have hoped but on the whole, I have had a great experience at Barclays.

From the first day, I was welcomed by the majority of the people that I met at Barclays. It was a far more relaxed environment than I was expecting and my colleagues were very welcoming. I was made to feel a valued part of the team and was invited to a number of external social events with my colleagues.

I was given a good level of support from my line manager. Nevertheless, she was exceptionally busy and therefore there was times when I was left to my own devices a little. I tried to reach out to a range of people in the business and all were very supportive of my ambitions and were more than willing to answer any questions I had.

I was very proactive in trying to find work as I was keen to be busy. I also took the opportunity to get involved in a number of charity and sporting events that were ongoing so I was relatively busy throughout my internship. There were certain periods of downtime but by taking a proactive approach, I kept myself busy most of the time.

I came into my team at a time when there was a lot of intensive work ongoing and therefore from day one, I was given responsibility. There were times where my team were reluctant to give me responsibility for tasks however at every opportunity, I attempted to take on difficult work as I wanted to be challenged.

The main skills that I have learnt doing the internship are soft skills. For example, I've learnt the importance of being concise and clear when speaking to senior management as they are exceptionally busy. In addition, the exposure to different parts of the business has really developed my understanding of how a bank operates and the various work streams available.

I came into the office at a really stressful time when there were a number of projects outstanding. Despite there been occasions where the atmosphere was quite tense due to the level of work ongoing, I always found the team very welcoming and friendly towards me. On regular occasions, one of the team would bring in some form of food to share with the team and when work was quiet, there was often periods where we would chat and have a laugh.

From start to finish, I think the organisation of the work placement was first class. The HR staff kept in continuous communication with me and when I wanted to discuss my career options with them, they were always available. I was regularly informed of events and in the build up to the internship, there was a continuous dialogue of communication, explaining how the internship would run.

The company invested in offering a really detailed and insightful day of financial training by an industry expert which was really helpful. Throughout the internship, there was also various speaker events and training events which developed my skills. For example, there was sessions on personal branding and networking. We were also offered exposure to various parts of the business which was really useful as it allowed me to explore the options available within Barclays.

I'm staying with the company after my internship finishes on a temporary basis and then I'm very much hoping to come back on the graduate scheme in the future. I think it's a good company to work for with substantial opportunities and prospects. There is a range of jobs and departments to work for so I certainly hope to come back to the organisation in the future.

Most of the interns went out socially on a weekly basis. There were also a number of sporting events which we all took part in.

It was very expensive to live and work in London however Barclays provided very generous pay and in addition, offered a £2,000 housing allowance to help with the costs of living in the area. Barclays offer a subsided cafe internally but it's still quite expensive if you are eating there each day. Canary Wharf itself is quite expensive in terms of drinks and places to go but I think that is compensated for by the pro-rata salary that Barclays provide.

Canary Wharf was very poor in terms of Nightlife but you have London on your doorstep so that was not an issue.

There were various opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. In my time at Barclays, I played football once a week with people from around the bank. In addition, I took part in a charity volleyball event and next week, I'm scheduled to take part in a charity dodgeball event. There are various opportunities to get involved outside of work but there is an emphasis on the employee to find those opportunities - they are not that well advertised. It's a case of asking around and speaking to friends/colleagues to find out what's available.