Spring Intern Review

I really enjoyed the insight because it was a packed week that kept me thoroughly busy. Accommodation was provided to those who lived far away and food (breakfast and lunch) was provided every day. On top of that, the lectures and activities were heavy in content which allowed me to take in a lot of information about UBS.

Each person at the insight week was treated fairly. We were all given equal opportunities and the staff treated us like a fellow colleague when we shadowed them. It is testament to UBS’ family-like culture and their emphasis at ensuring that everyone is respected within the organization. The environment was very friendly and welcoming and I would definitely want to come back again.

The entire week was packed with lectures and activities. Even though I do not have an engineering background, I felt that the information I learnt from the lectures put me in a good position to tackle the team tasks. Even if I didn’t understand what was going on, there were usually graduate analysts assigned to each team to answer all our questions (of which I had many).

From this Spring Insight, I have further developed my communication and networking skills. Although not directly related to my engineering degree, the skills honed are nonetheless essentially to progressing my future career. The most helpful part of the Insight program was learning about how to tackle the assessment centres including group activities, individual presentations and interviews. We were even able to get some practice by doing the presentation part of the assessment centre from last year. This was absolutely crucial in showing us that it’s not at all as intimidating as what some people make it out to be.

The entire week was very well structured. On the first day, we were given a very structured timetable of events that detailed exactly what we’d be doing each day. Kudos to the HR team for ensuring that every session ran to schedule and making sure that we’d be doing something every minute, even during the lunch breaks! I have to say, the week was busy but rewarding simultaneously.

The atmosphere was definitely friendly. Although the first day was quite awkward due to the students not knowing what to say to each other, everyone began to warm to each other and it became a quite friendly environment. Although there was an assessment centre at the end of the week, the atmosphere during the week was not as competitive as I had imagined.

UBS definitely invested in our development as they saw the insight as a platform to internships. This was clearly shown by the opportunity to take part in the assessment centre on the last day. As this was the first round of assessment centres for the new season of internships, it goes on to show how UBS priortises their insight participants.

The week included an afternoon shadowing a graduate from a department that we had initially applied for. It gave us the perfect opportunity to see what the role entailed and helped me to realise that the role I had originally applied for was not for me. The lectures for each department further enhanced my understanding of how each department within the organization worked with each other.

Throughout the week, the company’s core values were drummed to us. There was a particularly interesting Q&A session where cultural organization representatives gave us a talk on their roles within UBS. It helped us to see that UBS isn’t all about clients, it’s about ensuring the employees feel comfortable and work well together.

Before attending this program, I was unsure what career path to take. The insight program was pivotal in helping me make a decision with regards to career choices. I was able to make an informed decision and assess how each of the different departments fit with my particular set of skills. The content of the lectures definitely contributed to my decisions.

Accommodation at a nearby award-winning budget hotel (about 15mins walk away) was provided to those who lived outside London. On top of that, the travel expenses were reimbursed. UBS provided adequate support with respect to this aspect. Breakfast and lunch buffets were provided every day so all in all, we were all well looked after.

Graduate employees were on hand to help during most activities. This was a great opportunity to get to know them and understand how they fit within UBS. There was a lunch networking session where we were able to chat to various members across the organisation. The week definitely provided opportunities to network with the employees.

Although the week was intended to be as informational as possible, I still felt that there should have been a few more social events between students. The only one was on the first night of the week which was simply a food and drinks socialising session at a Central London bar. It was an ok bonding session but a couple of people left early due to poor entertainment and dog-walking duties.

The Q&A sessions provided a much needed insight into what activities the employees get involved in outside of work. Many of them reiterated how they were given 2 days outside of their holiday time to go out and volunteer for a good cause within their local community. It was touching to see how UBS strive to develop their relations with the local community.

A definite, resounding yes. Apply to UBS Spring Insight and know that if you manage to get on this program, you’ll have a very good chance at being fast-tracked to the internships. I would definitely recommend this program to a friend and personally, I feel that it was well balanced in terms of work and fun.