Spring Intern Review

It was an enjoyable experience. The days were long and we had a lot to do but I didn't feel like my time was being wasted. I gained a large amount of insight into what Barclays does as a company, especially regarding technology.

The staff members were all very welcoming and I never felt like I was wasting someone's time by talking to them or asking questions about their job.

We had two members of the recruitment team with us at all times who could help us and answer our questions. We shadowed staff members at the Barclay's office twice, and the people I was shadowing both gave great insight and advice regarding their job. I never felt like I couldn't ask for help.

I learnt a lot of personal skills, such as interview skills and how to represent myself to others. I also learnt about areas of banking and technology that I had no knowledge of.

We had an app with our schedule on it so we could see what we would be doing at any time of the week. There were a number of set talks and workshops for us so we always had something to do. We did have a presentation to complete by the end of the week however I do not feel like we had enough time to thoroughly research the topics we were given and create a cohesive presentation.

Everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. We spent most of our week in a single room, doing activities and recieving talks. However we also spent time in the office, shadowing staff members, and hearing about their work life.

They gave workshops on CVs and interviews and spent some time focusing on your own personal skills. They offered us the opportunity to have an interview for an internship.

We got to see what the working culture was in the company and how much work everyone did.

We got to see what the atmosphere in the office was.

It was valuable to speak with people who had different roles within the company to see what fit you.

We were paid for the week. The company also offered to cover travel expenses and provided accomodation for those who lived to far to travel every day.

We had a networking event one evening where we could speak to members of staff from several departments. We also shadowed two different people in the office so we could see what their role entails and how they fit into the company.

The networking event was enjoyable. However due to how long the days were, there was not a lot of time to socialise with the other attendees in the evenings.

I personally didn't ask what the employees did outside of work and their talks generally focused on Barclays.

It was long and tiring, but I felt like the week was worthwhile and a great step to getting an internship.