Intern Review

I really enjoyed my Summer internship this year. I was working in the CCS division at UBS and the nine weeks flew by. Being my first internship, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I certainly didn't think I would to be so sad to leave at the end of the Summer!

Being assigned tasks that didn't seem menial, but that made a difference contributed to my feeling like a member of a team rather than feeling like I was getting in the way. In addition to this, the team took the time and effort to explain the background and details of each project I worked on, which made me feel that they valued my learning experience, as well as my capacity to complete tasks.

Each intern was assigned a 'buddy' who helped them settle into their team, particularly in the first week on the desk. However, everyone on the team was happy to answer questions and give guidance whenever asked, and supported us throughout the internship. Members of the team were always willing to explain, advise or just chat whenever we approached them.

The amount of work I was given varied on a day to day basis, but there was always something to do. July was extremely busy, before markets cooled down in August. I was assigned several longer-term projects, such as reconstructing or maintaining databases, and updating slide decks, which I worked on at times in which there were fewer time-sensitive projects to be completed.

The extent to which I was given responsibility increased over the course of the internship, which made me feel like I had progressed between the first and final week. However, from the first day I felt fully accountable for the quality of my work. I started with smaller tasks at the beginning of the Summer, then really enjoyed the satisfaction of being responsible for several internal databases in the last two weeks of my internship.

I am confident that I am much better prepared for my final year of undergraduate studies now than I was at the beginning of the Summer. Not only have I developed technical skills which will help me in my Economics degree, but I have further developed my time management skills and my ability to work under pressure, as well as growing in confidence and maturity, so I am very grateful for the experience.

The atmosphere in general was very positive. The entire Investment Banking division is based on one floor, so there is lots of scope for interaction across the different sector, product and coverage teams, and plenty of opportunities to ask people form these respective divisions for help and guidance, as well as your own team. This layout provides an atmosphere very conducive to collaboration, which enhanced my learning experience greatly over the course of the internship,

The internship was very well organised, with one week of training before hitting the desks for 8 weeks. The first week of training was particularly well organised, meaning that at no point did I feel lost or confused, despite the very large UBS building having the potential to be very daunting to a new intern! We attended speaker series talks each week hosted by HR, which featured several inspirational speakers, including Olympians and MBEs, which were thoroughly enjoyed by all the interns.

I feel that UBS invested a lot in me this Summer, particularly because the internship class was so small. I gained exposure to a great number of areas, and any requests I had to get involved or learn more about a particular area were met with enthusiasm and willingness to help, which greatly added to the experience.

Future employment prospects are very appealing as I thoroughly enjoyed the working environment as well as the day to day content of the job. There is a very welcoming atmosphere in the office and the potential to have a stimulating career with exciting prospects for progression within UBS is very visible.

All of the interns in my class were very friendly and we all got on very well. The environment was extremely positive; we frequently met up to socialise outside of the office on a Friday evening (despite the long hours!), as well as helping each other with our respective tasks on the desk whenever required/our projects overlapped in any way.

Living in Central London is always expensive, so the cost of living and socialising is generally very high. However, UBS sent us details of nearby accommodation, and provisionally reserved rooms in particular student accommodation residences which were very reasonable and of good quality suitably near to the office.

Again, going out in London tends to be expensive, but Shoreditch is nearby and is significantly cheaper than the areas immediately outside the office, as well as being a fun place to socialise and go out. However, being in such a busy area of London with fantastic transport links means that there is something for everyone to enjoy within a very reasonable distance!

Interns were given the opportunity to participate in the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge Run in July, which was a lot of fun. Aside from this, there were not many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, but this allowed us to catch up with university/home friends at the weekends or enjoy the weather outside (when it was sunny!) and to then go back into the office on Monday feeling refreshed and ready for the busy week ahead.