Spring Insight Review

It was definitely a learning experience but probably something I would not do again. Some of the talks we had dragged on quite a bit so they were a bit boring and repeating this process became a bit tedious. However, there were many interactive sessions which I enjoyed such as workshops (rather than presentations) and a trading game which was very fun.

I definitely did not feel like a stranger but I did not feel taken into the UBS family immediately which is completely expected. There were many things which helped us insights students settle in such as being provided breakfast and lunch and a few freebies such as mugs, notepads and pens.

There was a lot of guidance as to which division of the bank I would be suited in through talking to peers after their work shadowing sessions, talking to HR about the different divisions and listening to presentations and playing games lead by people from these divisions. I definitely felt supported by HR to continue my efforts and enthusiasm into applying for the internship and switching divisions for this.

As I am an economist, some of the things I have learnt about this week do relate specifically into my degree and the modules that I take for it. There was a session at the beginning of the week which gave an overview of the global economic market and is related specifically to one of my modules.

The whole of the insight week was pretty well structured but there were a few things that could have made it better. One thing is having the agenda beforehand in order to prepare. There were a few sessions that I felt were too long, such as the work shadowing. Generally, we were kept busy and we had a lot of breaks.

The atmosphere was pretty great. The HR team were very enthusiastic and positive, the catering team were helpful and friendly and generally the people that attended the insights week had great personalities which made it easy to make friends. The UBS employees that led workshops and games were very helpful and informative and tried to explain things as best as they could.

As the program was only four days long, there was not any time to have our personal training and development invested in so to an extent I would say that we were perhaps not as stretched as we could have been in terms of the practical side of things but again this was due to time constraints.

The insight helped me to learn about different divisions within the bank but I still do not know how it would be to have a full time role here. In perspective, I don't think I will fully be able to understand what it feels like to have a full time role unless I am actually in a full time role or at least doing actual work on the summer internship.

Culture was definitely one of the aspects of the bank that was emphasised through the employees. This was through networking, panels and workshops. I feel that the UBS culture is a mix of hard work and relaxation and that the work life balance is definitely manageable and so through learning this, it has encouraged me to work here.

There were many different presentations and workshops about the different areas of the investment bank but I am still undecided about what I want to do in my future career. Banking is a path I would definitely consider but I am not entirely sure as to whether I'll end up in it. I think I will only know if I start doing practical work. In addition, I found it hard to engage in some of the workshops either because they were too long or the presenter wasn't engaging so that put me off applying to that specific division.

I feel that this was very unfair just because I live in London. Peers that do not live here had travel expenses reimbursed and a hotel paid for for them to stay in. I am aware that other banks do pay their insights or at least reimburse tfl fares. Overall, I've spent about £50/60 on travel alone this week and as a student, I can appreciate that this is a bit much.

There were many, many networking sessions which were all generally very helpful. The first one I felt was slightly awkward as it was a networking lunch and as we had to stand up and eat, there was an added difficulty of trying to be elegant. Others were better such as the ascent network where we were tables of about 6-8 people and employees moved around the tables who represented different divisions, although we did not get to speak to everyone.

In the first networking session, employees pretty much found you because you were work shadowing them that day in that specific department so I was slightly upset that I didn't get to speak to many other people in different departments as I wasn't extremely happy with the one I had picked at the beginning of the week and would have liked an insight to help me to pick the right department when changing.

There was a panel which represented all different networks within the bank (such as community affairs and the pride network to name a few) which discussed the different things you can get involved in besides work. I was surprised that there were so many clubs and networks to join and as well that every employee gets two days to volunteer on top of their work commitments.

In terms of insights, I would recommend any to a friend as they are a great thing to have on your CV. I have not done any other Spring Weeks before this so I have not had the chance to compare this against other banks so I do not know how good or bad this is but I have found the week informative and enjoyable so would recommend this to a friend. I do feel like I have found some friends here also and any place where you can find people to bond with is somewhere to go.