Investment Guideline Monitoring Review

This has definitely been one of the best and most interesting years, and I am glad I did the placement. I've rated my enjoyment of the placement an 8, mostly for the things which came with the placement rather than the actual *work*. UBS moved to a brand new building in Nov 2016, half way through my placement, which really improved my experience. It is an extremely professional environment, but I have made amazing friends here and I've learnt so much from the company and my colleagues.

My team were amazing. I worked in a fairly small local team of just 4 members (2 interns). I felt extremely valued, especially as headcount seemed to reduce during my time at UBS I think that they really appreciated the extra help from interns, and I never felt looked down on, which is great to really feel like a part of the team.

At the start of my placement I received less guidance than I would've liked as my line manager was on maternity leave so I had a temporary line manager in Zurich. Whilst this was strange at first, it enabled me to connect with my global team faster and I learnt extremely quickly that if you need help on something, you need to go out there and find out yourself. If I ever needed support, or guidance, it was always there for me if I asked.

Whilst my days were usually full, I had very nice working hours. I was busy most days, only stayed late in the office on a handful of occasions. Usually, it isn't even necessary to stay late. Whilst this is excellent to have a good work/life balance, I was expecting a larger workload before I started.

Responsibility is a tricky subject, as you'd expect from a bank (with high security/privacy), I was not given a huge amount of responsibility immediately. However, towards the second half of my placement I was trusted with coding and rule changes on ours systems, which are extremely important. I also managed compliance banned lists which held a great deal of responsibility on me.

There is no doubt I have learnt life skills during this year of my placement, I have taken the IMC exams, I have received training on multiple computer systems and excel training. I have also gained invaluable skills such as how to network, time management skills, teamwork and how to behave in a professional environment.

I was lucky enough to experience two office locations during my year as we moved from an old building to a new building. Whilst the new building was incredible, the actual office atmosphere is very dull. It is quiet, and busy.

The organization of the placement was really good, there were 42 interns this year who mostly all stayed for 14 months. We had regular (monthly-ish) talks from different departments to educate us on Asset Management, I found this really helpful. We also had a mid-term and final-term review to ensure our placement was progressing with goals/aims for the year.

UBS are kind enough to support you through an IMC course which provides training which is essential if you want to work in asset management. As I said previously, we had regular (monthly-ish) talks from different departments to educate us on Asset Management which was extremely informative.

When I first started the placement with UBS there were no chances of getting a graduate job as the scheme didn't exist. however, they have now said there is potential to apply for a future position. Therefore, there is hope! Whilst I don't think I would come back to work in the same team as this year, I would love to learn more about other positions and areas within asset management.

YES! There is a great social atmosphere at UBS with the interns. We had a class of 42 interns which was amazing! I have made so many friends here this year, who I will definitely stay in contact with well beyond our placement year. I also had a few team drinks/dinners with colleagues which are really nice and fun, great to get to know your team in a more social environment.

I lived at home this year to save money however I still management spend a majority of my wage. Travel is expensive, London is expensive, hands down. But UBS provide a decent wage to ensure you wont miss out on anything during your year.

My office was in the city of London, great bars around the city area, and then a stones through away from Shoreditch which is great! One thing to note is most places in the city are closed on the weekend. However, in central London you're never far away from a bar/nightclub.

There were many many opportunies from Charity runs to treasure hunts and football clubs. I can't say I did that much, but there is definitely options if that's what youd like. We also get 2 permitted volunteering days off which you can use to volunteer anywhere!