UBS Insights Review

UBS Insights was really enjoyable. The staff across all business areas were incredibly welcoming and supportive - any questions were welcomed, and the information provided was very useful. Other participants were also great to work with, adding more value to the Insights program.

UBS did everything possible to make sure that we were comfortable and enjoying our time there. This ranged from providing great accommodation and a relaxed social event to networking opportunities and workshops with senior staff from across the company.

In terms of practical support, HR (Graduate Recruitment) at UBS were willing to answer any questions we had and resolve issues. With regard to guidance and support for future careers plans, staff in my chosen business area and also in others were very willing to talk about their experiences and career path, while explaining technical concepts and methods too.

The information received will be very useful for my future career planning, especially with regard to internships. It is perhaps less useful with regard to my academic work at University - I think this is largely true for everyone, since many of us studied non-financial degrees and the information that was provided was more related to work in finance than to theoretical issues.

Graduate Recruitment carefully designed the Program to maximise the number of activities and opportunities in which we could participate. There were plenty of breaks throughout the day, but we were never just left at a loose end - it was particularly helpful to have lunch provided on-site at UBS each day. We were generally free from 6pm on, apart from on the day of the social event, but most participants were in the hotel so we could all go back together and relax after a tiring day.

Every participant I spoke to seemed to be really enjoying the experience, and we were all very comfortable and excited about other opportunities throughout the week. As a group, we bonded well - it was particularly nice that Graduate Recruitment changed our tables (with whom we worked in most workshops) each day, giving us more opportunities to get to know each other. The atmosphere was slightly dampened by the numerical test and the prospect of an assessment centre on the Friday, but these ended up being much less stressful than anyone realised - UBS were positive and supportive during those, as they had been all week.

UBS offered as many workshops as they possibly could during the week. This allowed lots of opportunities to learn about different business areas, though many of these were far removed from those in which I was particularly interested. Clearly, there are limits to how many technical skills we can acquire in one week.

This was one of the real strengths of UBS Insights. On the one hand, we had a range of presentations, including several from senior staff at UBS, which gave us an understanding of the firm's values and structure (as well as telling us more about things like volunteering opportunities). On the other, a graduate trainee discussion panel and networking lunch, as well as - above all else - work shadowing, enabled us to hear/see what the real job was like in our business areas.

UBS staff spoke about the firm's culture and values throughout. I think this was helpful in understanding what set it apart from other banks - while it's really easy to say that a firm considers certain things important, it's much better to hear from people who have worked at several banks what the actual *differences* between them were.

The Insights program helped me to understand what finance was all about, and I decided that it was something I'd really like to enter later on. It was helpful, too, in offering the chance to be assessed for the Summer Internship in 2016, before anyone outside the Insights program would be.

UBS paid for really nice accommodation for those of us from outside London, which was not far from the bank itself (within walking distance). Travel expenses were also reimbursed, and lunch and drinks were provided each day (as well as food at the social event on one evening). London residents weren't reimbursed for many of their expenses.

There was a really helpful networking lunch, which lots of UBS staff from across all business areas participated in. They were very willing to talk to us about their career path and responsibilities. Work shadowing obviously involved getting to know an employee quite well. Even at the assessment centre, some assessors provided their business card in the interview.

There was one evening social event - this was bowling, at a very nice venue near the bank. This was really relaxed and great for meeting other program participants, although - with only three bowling lanes for 80 people - lots of people had had to leave before the last group had even started.

We were told about the opportunities to get involved with volunteering and diversity networks. There was not so much information on other activities in which people are involved, although we were also told about some 'major' events like talks from public figures.

Definitely. UBS is a really positive, welcoming and dynamic bank in which to learn more about finance. The other Insights participants were intelligent and friendly; the people who organised the program did everything they could to make it great; the UBS employees in our business areas were willing to talk to us despite their busy workload, providing a really good source of information which isn't rivalled by anything online. The assessment process for the 2016 summer internship meant that a few of us were made offers before anyone I know who did an insights program elsewhere (and, obviously, before banks opened for applications to people who hadn't done insights programs at all).