Equity Research Intern Review

Really enjoyed it. We were given loads of opportunities to learn about different areas of the bank and given lots of responsibility within your division. The long hours take some getting used to though. One of my favourite parts is the weekly trading game which makes sure you keep track of the markets.

Got on well with all colleagues who are very willing to chat and answer your questions. I was doing valuable work from early on in the internship which helped me feel part of the team. My team were very welcoming and willing to let me sit in on calls or meetings.

My manager was great. I was set an 8-week project and he would regularly sit down with me (for about an hour a week) to check my progress and make sure I was on the right tracks so that they could publish a full report on it at the end. He made sure to guide me in the right direction but still gave me plenty of creative license to explore the project from different angles.

I was always reasonably busy. I had a number of smaller projects going on alongside my main project and also dealt with some client requests when they came. However the workload was never too much and my team made sure not to overload me. Sometimes I had to ask for additional work.

I was given a lot more responsibility than I expected. Within the first few weeks graphs and commentary I had done was been published as part of larger reports and by the 6th week a document was published which was entirely my own work. This meant I got a real sense of what a full time job here would be like.

The main skill I improved was excel which is used extensively in this role. This will be valuable for future jobs but is not often used as part of my degree. Another key skill is writing clearly and concisely which is useful for making yourself clear in every day life. I am hoping the finance knowledge learned will assist me in future finance modules.

Everyone is friendly but works hard so there is not a lot of chatting and fun during the day. You can hear the noise from the trading floor which brightens up the atmosphere. People around you are often on the phone so you need to get used to working in a noisy background or bring headphones.

The work placement was well organised. A variety of talks, social events and training was arranged while still giving you plenty of time to work on your allocated desk. HR were happy to respond to any queries. All information was given on the first day but it would have been nice to have received some of this earlier to help you prepare for the internship.

Very well. A speaker series was organised with motivational people encouraging you to pursue the right path in life for you. We also had workshops on a variety of personal development issues such as "Your Personal Brand" and "The Proactive versus Reactive Intern" to ensure we made the most out of our time.

Very appealing. It is a good firm with a positive culture and strategy running throughout. The work is challenging and you are working among very clever individuals so I believe UBS will offer the right environment and opportunities to push you to your full potential. Although it will be a challenge to be offered the job.

Yes. Plenty of social events were organised for all the interns.

Very expensive. Luckily I lived at home but others had to experience typical central London housing costs of £300+ rent per week. Food could be bought reasonably cheaply if you avoided tourist-areas but drinks were typically expensive, around £5 for a pint was usual. This acted as a bit of a limit on the amount of socialising!

There are plenty of nice bars close by - either in Broadgate Circle or slightly further afield to Shoreditch. Drinks were reasonably expensive but only as is to be expected in Central London. Lots of places to get food or sit on a sunny day makes it a very nice area to work.

Some opportunities were offered but not many interns would get involved. Examples involved UBS London Pride Day, volunteering at a local school, playing dodgeball on the piazza outside... There are numerous networks who organise events and speakers - I would definitely join some of these networks if I became a full time employee.