Throughout my internship the tasks and opportunities I was given were incredibly varied. This meant that I was able to develop skills which included teamwork, problem analysis, communication and decision making. However I would say that the most crucial thing I learnt is to always think ahead and anticipate problems.
The placement was very well organised and structured and I feel that I was given every opportunity to test myself, as well as get a better insight into how investment banks work in general and how UBS works in particular. I also gained insight into which department I would find interesting and challenging to work in, given the chance in the future.
I have gained a huge amount of confidence in my ability and a sense that if I put the effort in I can achieve anything. I also have made lots of new friends among the interns and also my colleagues. I thoroughly enjoyed working in a team of people of all ages and found that working can be incredibly fun. Throughout my internship I received a huge amount of support from my manager and colleagues and I feel that I left the bank with good friends but also good contacts (within the investment bank) that I feel I could use in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed the huge sense of satisfaction to be set challenges that were so different from academic work. Taking part in the internship has showed me that hard work is rewarding and it has definitely persuaded me that following university I definitely want to join a top company after completing their graduate programme.
Sophie Durant
UBS Intern
I went to Christ the King Sixth Form College in Lewisham. I wanted to gain an insight into the financial markets and some experience of life in the City. The Brokerage made a presentation in the college about the City of London's Business Traineeship programme which I thought would be ideal. After completing my 'A' levels I was offered an internship at Bloomberg LLP. This gave me exposure to the fast paced working environment of the City and a solid foundation for applying for future jobs. It looked very impressive on my CV and I'm sure it helped to differentiate me from other candidates. Whilst I was at University the Brokerage kept in contact with me offering invitations to workshops and networking events. They also kept me updated with information about possible employment opportunities for when I graduated. The graduate market is highly competitive so the extra help was great.
The Brokerage contacted me with information about graduate job opportunities at Wachovia. As there were a number of roles on offer the Brokerage asked what areas captured my interest, the skills I felt I had to offer Wachovia and the particular roles I would like to be considered for. The next stage involved a telephone interview with Wachovia. The Brokerage took me through various techniques to succeed on telephone interviews which they followed up by email to ensure I had the information to hand. I passed the telephone interview and was invited to attend an assessment centre for a day. The final part of the process was a social event one evening, where I was able to find out more about Wachovia and meet people already working there. This went well and shortly afterwards I was offered a full time job.
Kam Dhaliwal
Analyst for the Real Estate and Capital Markets
Wachovia Securities