Summer Sales and Trading Intern Review

I really enjoyed the work environment of UBS. People are approachable and friendly yet still all have the same mind-set of working hard. I enjoyed both teams I worked for, Specialist Sales and Cash Trading - a market facing role will keep you constantly busy. Interacting with other interns as well as colleagues was definitely one of the best ways to learn and made the experience more enjoyable.

Some of the projects I have been able to work on are actually being used once I leave, so from that aspect I have felt valued as my opinion and work somewhat counts. Obviously as an intern there are a lot of restrictions on things you can do so at points you can feel like you aren't useful for a small period of time; but the employees make a conscious effort to engage with you and make time for you if you want a chat or need to ask some questions.

I set up weekly feedback meetings with my manager in order to make sure I was on track and also to receive honest feedback, so from that aspect I was given quite a lot of guidance in terms of my performance and what I could be doing better, which I really valued. Speaking to some of the juniors on the team was also useful in order to be given extra support as well as reassurance in what we have to do or just the general internship experience.

Depending on the day I had more tasks to complete than others, but I usually ensured that I had a relatively busy diary in order to make the most of my experience here. Not everyone necessarily gives you tasks unless you ask, so being proactive is important in order to keep busy.

I was given responsibility in the sense of the tasks that were delegated to me. As well as this, I had the responsibility to perform and act well. It was nothing that was too much to handle, but an expected amount an intern should have given the fact we are the least experienced on the job.

Presenting skills will definitely help assist me later in life and in my degree as public speaking requires you to be clear and confident but also requires you to be meticulous about checking what you are saying. Time management is also something really important that I have learnt - how to delegate and prioritise tasks in order to be efficient.

The office is usually very lively and busy but it makes the environment quite exciting. There is a lot of communication back and forth between different desks and everyone makes it a nice and comfortable environment to work in. There are obviously times where there is a more serious atmosphere but also times where it is a bit more relaxed.

The internship was really well organised, we had group activities on a weekly basis as well as had regular feedback with HR in order to make sure everything was running smoothly from our end. The experience here was put together well in a way that we had time to network as well as times of pressure.

Through ensuring we have tasks to do as well as having regular group activities we were able to develop lots of different skills such as working in a team better and presenting. The company definitely invested in us to make sure we could gain as much out of the experience as possible.

I would definitely love to work here, the environment is great and the people are nice to be around and push you to be at your best. Receiving honest feedback has been something that I have definitely valued highly and would like to be able to have that with colleagues once employed.

The introduction week allowed us to start familiarising ourselves with the other interns before joining the floor. Since being on the floor together we have all made a conscious effort to socialise and spend time out of the office together. With other colleagues it varies slightly and I also think it comes with time.

Regarding the socialising aspect of the job location it is quite expensive but the amount of places to socialise is also a lot. I ended up living at home so the only real cost for me was the tube fairs which was just a daily cost that I had to incur.

The nightlife is popular and there are endless places to go to. However, considering it is in the city it is quite expensive. There is also a lot of easily available public transport so going elsewhere is also another possibility where there are other things to do for different prices.

They held a couple of events for the interns outside of work but other than that I was not aware of many activities that I could have took part in. Also considering the relatively long working days, getting some rest was also really important to make sure that I did.