Logistics Compliance Review

I enjoyed the internship to the extent, and in those situations, where I felt that I was contributing to the business and/or my team. When the work was less consistent, or not existent at all, my engagement and enjoyment declined accordingly. Fortunately, I was kept busy the vast majority of my two months.

Although this sounds rather cold-hearted, I was valued to the degree that I contributed. This is not to say that the team was unfriendly, or that I wasn't valued as an individual. Rather, it is to note that, completely appropriately in my opinion, the principal criterion by which I was judged was my output and dedication.

I was given relatively little guidance/support aside from the occasional 'good work.' There were formal sessions during which opportunities were available for more substantive dicussions, however, my supervisor was generally comfortable with my work, and I suspect as a result, felt little need to take advantage of these opportunities. In sum, more substantive feedback would have been nice, but I fear that is rarely offered unless there is a problem to be redressed.

The work load often fluctuated, but I was happy with the amount roughly 75% of the time. During the remaining 25%, I was often left with few tasks. This was an opportunity to explore on my own, do interesting reading, and simply see what I could pick up, but, of course, I would have preferred to be engaged more consistently on assigned projects. It's always difficult to find a way to ask for more work without, in doing so, creating work for the supervisor.

My rating on this field is middling because my responsibility corresponded directly with my capacities in the business, which were certainly middling. This isn't a critique so much as an observation. Where I could contribute, I was encouraged and utilized consistently. Where I could not, I was left to my own devices or assigned to alternative tasks.

Going forward, the most significant lessons that I will take from this internship pertain to the skills requisite for succeeding in a large and complex business. The importance of people management, of organizational knowledge, and simply understanding one's place within an enormous machine were all clear by the conclusion of the internship. I anticipated neither of the three playing such a large role in the experience.

Though a part of the back office, and thus not expected to rival the energy of a trading floor, the environment was typically pretty sleepy. My colleagues were kind, and generally engaged, but it would go a step too far to describe the place as buzzing with any sort of energy.

From the interview onto the training and the internship itself, everything was fairly straightforward. I would have liked for a few of the components to move quicker or arrive sooner (for example, a three month spread between application deadline and first round interviews, and only a week between the beginning of the internship and a welcoming pack arriving), but these are fairly minor critiques on what was, in general, a very well-run program.

The week-long orientation was the most overt expression of firm investment, and for the most part, was very useful. I would argue that the most expensive and valuable investment, however, comes in the form of taking up full-time colleague's time on a day to day basis. Everyone has been willing to sit down for a half-hour to discuss their roles, or to answer a brief question, regardless of how bus they may be. As a result, it's an ideal environment for anyone looking for an opportunity to explore the business in all its diversity.

UBS hasn't been hiring particularly aggressively, though that's hardly unique to the firm. I was one of two interns in this business area, and the business planned on taking one of us on in a graduate role. Although I'm not wholly familiar with other businesses, and this is certainly a division-specific matter, a 50% retention rate isn't too shabby.

There was wide variation depending on business division. Because there were only two interns in my division, and because we worked in completely separate buildings, I had little to no interaction with other interns on a daily basis. Outside of the intern sphere, and outside the occasional after work drink with colleagues (approx. 2/month) there was very little post-office social scene.

London is expensive--hardly an insight there. The only useful advice I could offer in this regad is to be wary of the tradeoffs one makes in joining some variety of student housing. In exchange for being surrounded with your peers and generally in a central location, you will be paying more, have less space, and, in most cases, continuing to live like a student with the exception of your daily hours.

The nightlife is certainly available, but like everything else, it can be incredinbly expensive if you aren't wary. The key point here is to take advantage of the multitude of free/inexpensive opportunities across the city. There are a number of websites/magazines with these details, and they are an invaluable tool for avoiding shelling out £30/40 for a mediocre night out.

There were none that were formally organized through the company; however, the interns did attempt to set up a few pick-up games during the first weeks of the internship. This largely fell apart as work started to pick up and sleep became more precious. In sum, then, not really.