Summer Intern Review

I enjoyed it immensely. I was given more responsibility than expected, and felt that the projects I worked on would be of genuine use to my team, whilst also enabling me to learn as much as possible. There is a genuinely friendly atmosphere within the bank and even senior people are welcoming towards interns.

I felt valued in all of the work that I completed. I was never given any typical 'intern' tasks, and was therefore fully engaged in all of my work. One of the most important factors for me was that my team also valued my learning as an element of the work I was there to do. For them it was important not only that I got something done, but that I fully understood the reasons it was important, why we had used a particular methodology, and what the implications are.

I had a line manager within my small team and then beyond that the management team for the department were also very involved with the interns. The highest level of management took time to schedule in appointments with each individual intern, in addition to attending and running a lot of panels and teach-ins for us to learn. The support on a day to day basis from our line managers was also fantastic. If I had had any particular concerns I have no doubt that I could have spoken to the right person, and be listened to.

I had several fairly long term projects and then on a day to day basis I was also given smaller tasks from my desk. Naturally, the tasks I was given grew as my understanding of the sector grew. This doesn't necessarily mean I was any more busy though, as the learning curve at the start of the internship is so intense. I was never bored, and I never felt out of control with the amount of work; it was a nice balance to challenge me.

I was given much more responsibility than I expected. The projects that I worked on were genuinely important for the team to understand and use moving forward. This was a similar experience across all of my intern class in this area of the bank. I do feel that this was well judged by our managers; it was challenging, but not too much, and I was never overwhelmed by the tasks I was given, so overall I learned as much as possible!

I have finished my studies, so unfortunately the skills I have now gained will not benefit that any more. They are, however, skills that will come in useful in whatever career I start. This is in terms of the technical skills and also the soft skills that I have gained. The amount of training and effort that is put towards interns' progression is very impressive, and is going to be one of the lasting impressions I take away from this internship.

The general atmosphere was as reflected on the website. People work hard, but there is a friendly and supportive atmosphere running concurrently. For example if there is something that you discover whilst researching your own area and it would be relevant to another person, then that is voluntarily shared, which is not the case in many institutions of this size. Equally, even senior management make it clear that they have time for you if you need it, and that it is no inconvenience to them to be talking to interns!

The internship is very clear and you are presented with the schedule for the entire internship from the first week. Several events had to be reorganised, as happens whilst working in a fast paced environment, but this is generally communicated effectively. You can see the commitment from HR to create an engaging and varied internship through all the different activities and lectures, exposing you to more than just your specific area of the bank.

They invested heavily, on several different levels. Initially, the entire first week is training, which is in part catered especially for your area. This means you have all of the basic skills and knowledge to start on the desk and be effective from day one. The actual teams you work with really take time to ensure that your tasks help you to learn about their work and the industry.

Future employment seems very appealing. The particular area that I am interning in has been investing heavily into the future, and they now have several really interesting initiatives that set them apart, for example evidence lab is a primary research facility that will provide a real differentiator for UBS once the new regulations on research come in.

Yes, the entire first week is mixed between all of the interns, and therefore you make friends across the whole bank from word go. Equally there are plenty of events throughout the internship that mean you come together regularly and socialise as an entire group. Socialising within your team is more dependent on the type of work, but I have the impression it is generally very good, and the small things count,- for example my team always take time to go and get breakfast together in the morning.

The cost of living in London is fairly high. However, the internship is paid, and so having a good standard of living within the city is very achievable. Also, before starting the internship we were sent lots of hints and tips about good places to stay whilst in London, and with time to plan these things I found it to be no problem.

The nightlife in the city is really good. There are plenty of places to meet after work, particularly in Broadgate circle, and beyond that you are surrounded by even more places. Shoreditch is about a ten minute walk, and there are fantastic transport links in this area, so there are a lot of options for nightlife!

Yes, I know that several interns have joined in on team football sessions, although this isn't my sport I was also offered the opportunity several times. I also took the time to get in contact with and work with the community affairs team in UBS on a project to help review some business plans, as this is something I had some previous experience in. Outside of the UBS world there are a lot of opportunities in central London to partake in almost any hobby you can imagine!