Group Operations Summer Intern Review

I have really enjoyed my stint within Group Ops. Prior to arriving I felt as though my work may not be as strategic or as fast-paced as I would have liked. However I have been pleasantly surprised, being given charge of a number of projects to juggle which I know are going to have a material impact. As such, I have been given a wide variety of tasks to keep me busy making me learn a variety of information and keeping the work interesting, engaging, and challenging. On the more culture side of things, my team have all been extremely friendly and helpful, as have the other interns.

They have been very welcoming and patient as I learnt the basics over the last few weeks, and have brought me along to team drinks on various occasions. I feel like they value my input, and will always be willing to take the time to have a chat with me.

Unfortunately one of my managers was working from home a lot due to being in the late stages of pregnancy, however when she could she was always open to having a sit down and giving me guidance and support. My other manager was also extremely busy which made it harder to get an opportunity to receive feedback, however she'd always try to find time and the feedback was always constructive.

I have been kept extremely busy with a wide variety of projects, however I believe that a high work load is a norm in the industry so considering that I don't think I was at all overworked, and was encouraged to share if I felt like I was too busy at any point.

I was given the responsibility to head up a number of projects, much more responsibility than I was expecting. I was trusted to manage the projects and fulfill the project deadlines myself, and expected to learn what I needed to enable me to do so. That said, there were always help available to answer any question I may have and help me through the process.

Having finished my degree that point is less relevant. However from having received various talks that would have cost thousands to put on, to focused career development from my line managers, I have had a great experience and learnt a lot both professionally and personally. These are things I will putting into use for years to come.

Originally I believed it to be very quite, however once I got to know the team better and develop those relationships I was able to engage them in conversation more often and struck a balance between general chat and focus time for work. It was also a very approachable atmosphere, and I was encouraged to approach anyone is I had any questions face to face. I maintain that there could have been a bit more chat however.

Overall the organization was very good, however there were occasions where different signals were sent/received and we were waiting until the latest point to know what was going on with certain things, such as what was going on in our final week or with our final presentation. That said, there were no major issues that I experienced or heard about from other interns.

There are a huge amount of opportunities to develop yourself at UBS where they will invest in you if you chose them. Specifically however, we were given a wide variety of talks to help with our development and inspiration, from professional athletes to senior individuals within the organization. That said, there was a relative lack of individual specific training.

Every Friday there's always the opportunity to go out with other interns, particularly those within the IB, and all the interns are extremely friendly in my experience. Thursday seems to be the day when your team may want to go out for one or two drinks as they tend to do family orientated things on a Friday.

I mean it's London, so it's never going to be cheap. However, UBS do sponsor some Uni-hall like accommodation which is relevantly cheap for London, and only 20 minutes away by tube from the offices. However, food, drink, and club tickets are all very expensive if you're not used to London prices.