Internship Review at Barclays Capital

The Role

Role Description

Worked on the Investor Solutions UK & Ireland Sales Desk. Was responsible for maintainig publications to clients, learning about the products sold, spending time with members of the desk and learning about specific roles, calling clients to find out what sort of products they buy/invest in and investigating, searching and narrowing down client lists.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Had an amazing time. Looked forward to coming into work every day. Such a different and exciting atmosphere. Was unbeleivably well looked after for the duration also; really felt like they were investing their time and money in me with the possibility of future employment.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Felt I was given important and relevant responsibility. Interacted with important colleagues and potential clients. Was given plenty of work, all of which was used by my team. I was made to feel part of the team. Also socialised with them outside of work and have made friendships for the future.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

HR was always very easy to reach and helped whenever it was needed. Very well organised.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Had lots of work and was always busy. But it was never an unhealthy or daunting amount.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Spoke to potential clients (not selling just information gathering), current clients, was taken along to client meetings, published product summaries that were sent out externally and internally to very important people. Really felt like the work I was doing was very important with high levels of responsibility involved.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Training was excellent. Prepared me well as I was coming from an engineering background. Have learnt an unbeleivable amount; however it is back to engineering this year so the skills aren't particularly transferable. However, I have learnt 'skills for life'; I matured as a person, learnt so much about the financial industry and gained knowledge that will stay with me and be used lots in the future.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

great atmosphere. People working very hard whilst enjoying eachothers company.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Can't rate this highly enough. Extremely well organised with great social events also.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

All the time I needed to develop.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

• Sports and Social Club
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events
• Travel loan

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Have been offered a full time job for when I graduate next year.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Met a lot of new people and enjoyed nights out both with colleagues and other interns. Great fun.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

London is very expensive to 'socialise' in. As a student, living costs would be quite high. However BarCap gave an accomodation allowance anyway.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

It's London.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Community Day, Dragonboat racing, inter-bank touch rugby competition, drinks on a boat on the Thames...

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

Best one of the lot; literally. If your interested in finance obviously.

Review 88/88 for Barclays Capital

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