Intermediary Mortgage Expert Review

My role is based within the mortgage intermediaries team and involves managing the relationship between the brokers and solicitors and the bank. The mortgage brokers are able to call or online chat our team for support from pre submission policy queries, to submitting applications correctly, support with documentation required and case updates through to completion. Solicitors also can ring for funds release queries and redemption statements. Our dealings with these brokers are key to securing future business to the bank. We are a high performing team who work effectively together and also with internal channels such as the underwriters or tech support and use our own judgement on when to escalate matters to these teams. As part of my development I have also recently supported the customer facing team with supporting them with payment holiday requests and account queries. This has helped enhance my knowledge and skills. I am currently working with my leader to develop my own skills in areas such as webchat and bringing this into our department as part of my development.

Through the degree programme I have developed lots of new skills including working on projects remotely, presenting to senior leaders and learning about new parts of the business such as finance and marketing which I have not worked in before. I have also had the opportunity to network with colleagues from across multiple areas of the business which has been fantastic for the future. As part of my ongoing development I was able to have the opportunity to lead multiple teams to put my learning into practice in the business however I have since moved role and have taken a back step from this whilst I embed my skills in the role.

Initially I found the programme enjoyable and the modules are very interesting but began I began to struggle with the workload after a few months and this continued throughout. It was portrayed as a way of incorporating on the job work into assignments but this has not been the case due to them being on varied topics. Other colleagues in different roles and areas of the business found the same. Although there is some crossover in that the learning can be applied to your daily role, the assignments felt very separate to the work I was doing and it ended up with me having to do a lot of work based evidence write ups for my portfolio at the end that was extra work in addition to working full time and having to complete assignments for deadlines. Overall I have found it enjoyable and beneficial but have found it caused a lot of unnecessary stress as it wasn't as intergrated as expected.

The programme itself from ARU was very well thought out although to cover many areas of the business much of it was not relevant to the department we worked in at the time. The tutor support has been brilliant throughout and the lectures were mostly informative, engaging and enjoyable. Some of the lecturers were less experienced and presented mostly powerpoint presentations which was difficult to stay engaged in but these were few and far between. The only issue with the programme was the disconnection between the work based roles and the course. Although there was some leadership skills which could be brought back into the workplace it felt like duplicating work as the assignments would be completed and then you also had to do work place evidence for portfolio. There was also an option to do the course whilst doing 6 month secondmends on different areas of the business. I feel this would be a better way to run this as this would be more relevant to the course and the role and be a better way to gain skills for future progression. I had fantastic support from a mentor type figure during my course but this was cut short due to the restructure and them being made redundant.

My employer was very supportive in allowing my allocated 1/2 day a week study day and time off to attend the course. I also am extremely grateful for them funding this course and giving me the opportunity as this has been a great experience and I feel I have gained useful skills and knowledge. The only area I felt was lacking was it was often difficult to put the skills into practice as it was very dependant on the leader of the department you were working in. Some gave no opportunities to enhance my skills and expected me to work a role which was irrelevant to the course, but others fully supported my development and helped me find and complete opportunities to lead teams and use my skills and knowledge to support my development and the business' needs. This is something I feel could be improved significantly.

The course tutors and leader have been absolutely fantastic throughout. They have all been supportive and understanding of our work demands. They have been able to structure support in a way which was suitable to work around our shifts at work and communication methods which worked effectively remotely. The course leader is such a brilliant leader and has been supportive with any issues or concerns I had and I felt she was very approachable and easy to talk to if I needed it. She was also able to signpost me to support within my organisation regarding getting the time to embed my skills in the workplace and encouraged me to apply for the role I am current in and enjoying. My only feedback was I would have preferred another personal tutor. It was nothing personal we just had different working styles and I felt she was sometimes a bit difficult to speak to. She often skimmed over any personal issues I mentioned and I would have preferred a different personal tutor for the support I needed. The tutors gave effective and easy to follow feedback in most instances. [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] deserves a special mention as her lectures have been engaging, fun and informative throughout and her support on both general assignments and as a personal tutor on my dissertation was second to none. She is an absolute credit to ARU and has inspired my love of learning again.

At present I do not feel the course will help in my specific role as I am not in a position to put this into practice, however I feel this has given me a good insight into the business as a whole which helps me understand why decisions are made and also helps me balance customer, colleague and business needs better. It has also given me the confidence and knowledge to support my own development and progression and I have proactively reached out to do further opportunities in areas I am interested in. It has also given me a great insight into areas of the business I am interested in moving into and helped me create a great network of course peers I can rely on for both support in my usual role and going forward into new areas. I feel the knowledge and qualification will support me if I choose to look for employment opportunities elsewhere too.

At work there are some opportunities for this but being based at multiple sites it is often difficult to do these if they are based somewhere else. I have attended a few networking events at my site which I would likely have not felt confident enough to go to prior to studying the course as this has really helped me with speaking to various levels of colleagues. I have also felt confident in networking outside of my site to new colleagues in different areas of the business. I was also able to support my peers with interview skills, knowledge boosts and networking skills to help with their development. The new area I am now working in has a good emphasis on team building and I already feel part of this team and like a family. They are incredibly supportive from colleagues to leaders and regularly engage in social activities.

Yes

I feel incredibly grateful to work for Barclays. This is a secure job which pays very fairly and has brilliant opportunities for colleagues such as funded BHAS courses like this one and rewards such as bonuses, excellent holiday scheme and career opportunities. Sometimes you have to work in a few departments to find one which you fit in well and enjoy but once you find a great team you will be supported to help you achieve your career ambitions. I have been given the opportunity to work in branches, call centres and in various teams and departments and feel my knowledge is increasing everyday. I find my job incredibly rewarding and enjoy working with my team as we all support each other and are like a family. My current leaders are supportive and motivating and I feel like I can balance my career with my life aspirations.

Be yourself! Every department or team has a different atmosphere and they often try to assess your personality at interview to help fit you in a team which would work well. The area I am in at the moment really value having a good atmosphere In teams and personalities which work well together so we can each bring out the best in each other and it definitely works and helps drive colleague happiness and performance. Research the different teams here so you know what they do and if you are internal colleague have a look around the department to get a feel for the job and the area. It also helps to get your face known and make a great first impression before interview. The Barclays values are a core part of our business and you need to be prepared to display these - great customer service, passion for excellence, community spirit, honesty and integrity and respect for each other. Also just because this is a bank with a long history, they are still a fast paced business and things change everyday so you have to be adaptive, agile and ready to take on new challenges.