Equities Sales & Trading Summer Intern Review
by UBS
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
2.8
-
The Company
3.0
-
The Culture
2.9
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I've had a great time - the culture makes it a really nice place to come in to every day.
I developed strong bonds with some people, and felt very valued by them. On the whole the employees were very welcoming and willingly gave up their time to help you out, and valued your opinions.
Some people were really great, and gave me lots of advice and support throughout my whole time at UBS.
It depended on the desk, and how much I organised for myself in terms of meeting people in different areas etc. I'd say I was less busy than I expected, but this gave me a chance to get out and meet more people!
It was difficult to be given a huge amount of responsibility as you are limited in what you can actually do (e.g. can't speak to clients). However, I was given projects and other regular tasks to do, so this was not too much of a problem.
I think some skills are very transferrable e.g. networking, organisation, dealing with lack of sleep! I don't know how much it will help my degree studies, but I think many skills can be applied in any job I get in the future.
The Company
The culture of UBS really is different to other banks. Everyone is very approachable and friendly, and people like to have a laugh during the day.
We completed three desk rotations, with lectures and talks organised throughout the 10 weeks. This provided a basic structure, but allowed us to choose how/where we spent most of our time.
Again, this depended on the desk, as some individuals invested a lot in you. However, lots of sessions were set up with people across the floor (sometimes set up by interns) to expand our knowledge.
Company Parties/Events
In current times, opportunities within banking in general is much more limited. However, UBS tends to employ at least part of the intern class, and so hopefully there is some job prospect after this!
The Culture
Yes, everyone was very sociable. However, after long hours we were often very tired so big nights out were limited!
London is of course very expensive. However, housing allowance is given to help with this, and a generous wage is paid so this shouldn't be too much of an issue.
The City has lots of pubs, bars and clubs. People often go for drinks or dinner after work and there are lots of places to choose from.
I didn't get involved with anything outside of work, although I think you could participate in sports etc. if you wanted to.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Investment Banking, Banking
London
July 2012
