Barclays Corporate Work Placement
Richard's Story
"Before I completed the work placement, Barclays Corporate was a complete unknown entity. Prior to my work placement my only exposure to banking was through a branch. I envisaged corporate be a high powered "cut-throat" environment where a handful of high powered bankers managed the wealth, deposits and investments of top level international companies. I was surprised to see corporate manage accounts of local car dealers, farmers and solicitors etc.
I would now describe Barclays Corporate (East Anglia Region) as a cohesive, dedicated and client focused organisation who genuinely enjoy helping their customers businesses grow. There is a degree of genuine warmth and partiality that is noticeable in the bank/client engagements. The team clearly enjoy what they do.
The placement comprised a very well balanced schedule. I was not left wanting more of one department or less from another. I genuinely appreciated the geniality, effort and patience every single member of staff displayed towards my presence. It could not have been easy having a serviceman shadow them and in some instances occupy a great deal of their valuable time, particularly answering my plethora of questions. However at no point did I ever feel I was in the way, on the contrary I was made to feel very much at home throughout the event.
I enjoyed learning a substantial amount about the financial sector, banking and business, and also drawing parallels to my current role. I now feel more able to analyse my own strengths looking at how these can be applied within a civilian organisation. Until recently banking is not a career I would have thought would interest me, it now does.
Highlights of the event included Client Meetings (gaining a deeper knowledge of the intricacies of medium to large business), and spending time with the Wealth Investment Management, Asset Finance and Credit Sanctioning departments."