Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I came here relatively sure that it was what I wanted to do long-term, and I was right. Skills have been developed in areas I did not think I would be good at. I have met many interesting people who have steered me into the right direction in order to develop as much as possible.

Very much so. Everyone on the floor takes a keen interest in the interns and is more than happy to engage with us. We essentially feel welcome to walk up to anyone on the floor and, providing they are not busy, have a conversation about what they do, their experiences, and how their role ties into the rest of the bank.

I was given a lot of guidance. All of my line managers have been invested in helping me develop as much as possible, giving me feedback very frequently so that I can improve. We regularly discuss what I have been doing, and they suggest new paths to explore in order to produce the best possible support.

I was busy, but in a good way. I never felt particularly snowed under, nor was I twiddling my thumbs waiting for the day to end. As interns, we were given additional projects and group stock pitches, which we both worked on during the day (however it took a back seat to any work required to be done on the desk) and after the market close. I also had plenty of time to explore London at weekends and after work.

I was given about as much responsibility as I could have been given, given that we cannot legally trade or talk to clients. On my first desk I was given the task of finishing off some commentary that would be given to clients; I consider this to be real responsibility, and I am grateful to have been asked to do it.

Very much so. Firstly, being here one must be very much up-to-date with both what is going on in the markets but also politics and current affairs in general. I have enjoyed doing this and will definitely continue after the internship. Also, in terms of stock pitches, learning how to properly value a stock, finding the numbers to support your thinking, and then delivering it are invaluable skills for the future.

The general atmosphere on the equities floor was lively, friendly and fun. As mentioned in a previous answer, I always felt like I could go up to someone on the floor and get a better insight into what they do. The atmosphere is definitely one that I would like to remain in for a while.

The internship was very well set up, indeed. I feel that all interns share this opinion. From day one, everything was brilliantly structured, with HR ensuring that we had plenty of social events as well. The idea of spending time on two desks, which, from what I gather, is not standard in banks, was an absolutely brilliant idea.

A lot. Many senior people have been very invested in the internship, each taking time to get to know us individually. They also ran several other fun sessions, with most of them taking place after market hours, i.e. when they could have gone home. UBS also organised many teach-ins, where senior people from the firm come and talk for an hour about what they do, giving us insight into the different areas of the business.

Not sure, as of yet.

Yes. Definitely. With UBS' prime location, we regularly went out for dinner and/or drinks after work. We also organised to meet up on weekends as well. It was clear very early on that all the interns wanted all other interns to be involved in what we were doing; there were no cliques at all. My cohort was indeed very friendly, and from what I hear on the floor the interns always have a good social scene.

Not too bad. I stayed in Mile End, in Queen Mary University accommodation, which was not cheap nor expensive (by London standards). The cost of socialising was reasonable, nothing to worry about.

Good.

Many.