Operations Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship within anti Money Laundering Operations in Barclays. While it was virtual due to corona virus this did not hinder my ability to progress and enjoy my time there even though it was shorter than the original timescale. I believe it has helped significantly with my personal and professional development through the careful consideration of the human resources team placing us in areas more suited to our skills and potential development.

I felt extremely valued by colleagues through out my time with the organisation. This was felt through every department I liaised with. Individuals from all levels and areas of the bank were extremely welcoming and couldn't do enough to improve my experience. I felt extremely valued through being entrusted with difficult tasks and managing my own workload with guidance provided by my team and wider department as well as any other colleagues I reached out to.

I have been given the utmost support from my managers and supervisors as well as any wider colleagues within Barclays. Similarly, having a mentor and buddy out with my department has been invaluable in terms of being able to go to them for any extra support or additional needs or for further information in terms of how I personally and professionally would like to develop. The support throughout has been invaluable from all colleagues I have engaged with.

From the beginning of week one each day was packed full of activities initially relating to orientation and intern activities and being introduced to the various teams and processes we would be working with. Subsequently, the ensuing weeks were spent split between working on a project for my team alongside fulfilling intern commitments and attending speaker events, networking with colleagues, participating with other interns alongside attending all mandatory training events set out for us at the outset.

Throughout my internship I believe I was entrusted with just the right amount of responsibility. I was given a task to complete and was able to take a lot of the responsibility to make sure it was completed to a high standard and within a set timeframe. I was entrusted to decide how much research to do and which individuals were most relevant to speak with alongside being entrusted to manage my other intern commitments.

The skills I have developed throughout this internship have been invaluable for my future progression both in terms of finishing my masters degree and future employment. It has set me up for the world of professional work and equipped me with some of the vital skills I will need to be successful in the future. The training I received has also been a great addition to my skillset and allowed me to become more analytical and critical in my thinking which will be incredibly useful

While not physically in the office there were team meetings three times a week which were very interactive and allowed me to get to know my colleagues slightly better. From my brief time here it is evident they all get on very well and have good working relationships and are able to work well together as a team and work strongly as individuals as well. The atmosphere was very positive and productive in my opinion.

The internship was very well organised with a packed schedule for us every week with various intern events, networking events, training and other activities. We had regular catch ups with our recruiter and were able to discuss with her any issues or concerns that arose. there was not many of these and certainly none relating to the organisation of the internship from everyone I spoke with we rated the construction and execution of it very highly.

I believe that the company has invested very much in me as an individual. As I have mentioned I was given lots of time to interact with individuals within my team and the wider company which they would not have done if they did not care about my development and seeing me progress throughout the six week internship. They have gone out of their way to make sure that I had every opportunity I could possibly have being from home.

The future employment prospects are incredibly appealing to me. the company is expanding rapidly as is the anti money laundering department which I was lucky enough to be placed in. The graduate scheme is very appealing to me considering the amount of support and development opportunities I have had over the time period I have been here for my internship so I am excited for the prospect of furthering my career professional and personal development.

While the internship took place from home there have been interns from all across the world we have interacted with and I do not feel I have missed out on much at all. We have had the opportunity to mix in smaller groups and within our transaction cycles as well as reach out to each other over social media et. I believe had we been in the office we all would have got along very well and socialised.

Living in Glasgow is probably one of the best areas as to have done the internship in London or Manchester the price of living is definitely a lot higher. There is even a massive difference between Glasgow and Edinburgh so for future interns I would say Glasgow is an excellent city to consider doing an internship in. It has also been voted one of the friendliest cities and has a bustling hospitality industry to enjoy.

The nightlife in the area I work in Glasgow is excellent. Obviously corona virus has hampered the ability to go out and with the internship being virtual this year the employees haven't been able to enjoy what Glasgow has to offer. But for future candidates I would thoroughly recommend as Glasgow has something to offer for everyone whether it be bustling clubs or quiet bars, fancy or casual there is something for everyone to enjoy.

While the internship has been virtual I have been assured that during normal times there are copious amounts of opportunities to get involved in networking and charity events. During our time on the virtual internship we have had the opportunity to get involved in various different networks the organisation runs including Spectrum, women in network, emerge, diversity and inclusion and the sustainable initiatives so I believe there is a wide mix for everyone to find something to get involved with.