Technology Summer Analyst Review

There were a lot of opportunities to network through events held for us. The culture at Barclays made the experience enjoyable. Most people are very friendly and welcoming. As an intern, it was surprising to find that people at Director level were interested to find out about my career aspirations and were happy to offer advice.

My colleagues showed a lot of interest in what I was working on and whenever I received feedback, It was always positive and constructive. Everyone was really friendly, but this could possibly differ depending on which team you're placed in. I, fortunately, really felt like part of team.

Considering that they have very busy schedules, my supervisors made an effort to provide support and guidance when they could. It is definitely important to form relationships with people on your desk as they can also be a source of support and guidance if or when your supervisors are unavailable.

As I had a big project to carry out during the internship, I found myself being considerably busy from the day I joined my desk up till the last few days of the internship. However, the work-life balance was still good as I wasn't overwhelmingly busy. Only on a few occasions did I have to stay later than usual to work.

I was very pleased with the level of responsibility that I received. Although I had requirements I had to meet, the approach I took to meet those requirements was my choice. Granted, I had to justify why I chose to do things in the way I did them.

I definitely feel that in one way or another, I gained new soft and hard skills as well as further developed the skills I had at the start of the internship. Barclays being global especially gave me the opportunity to enhance my communication skills as I spoke to team members in different regions on a daily basis.

Everyone pretty much just gets on with their work. I wouldn't say it's the most exciting atmosphere however it is an advantage if you are working on an interesting project as it makes your work more enjoyable. There is an opportunity to go to after work social events with your team where you have the opportunity to have some fun with your team however, this is dependant on the type of team you are placed in and the different personalities and interests of the people within that team.

Training last a day and a half. We received training on presentations and the Barclays values as well division specific technical skills training.

London is very expesinve, however the relocation bonus managed to cover all costs. It is important to bare in mind when looking for accomodation in London that your relocation bonus is taxed. I stayed in a near student accomodation where a few others stayed and I was able to commute to work with others.

London has a great nightlife scene however, it is not the most affordable so you are not able to go out as much as you would probably hope to. Canary Wharf has a lot of bars and restaurants taht you can easily organise an after work social without much effort.

Barclays made sure to inform us on all the different initiatives and activities we could get involve in. There are a lot of equality initiatives in place where they host events for all employees of the firm. As interns, we had the opportunity to take part in a citizenship challenge outside of work which was great as it allowed us to network with interns from different divisions.