Accounts Assistant Review

I am an Accounts Assistant, I work within the London Branch Regulatory and Control team which primarily involves coordinating the month end close before the BS and PnL is published. I am also responsible for ensuring the completion of certain forms required by the regulators. I also have the task of checking the LCR daily and ensuring that concerns are properly escalated when we know the reasons for certain changes and whether they will affect LCR

I am working towards my AAT level 3 qualification and have also learnt and developed many new skills. My confidence has vastly improved and my IT and technical skills have also improved extensively such as having a much better grasp of accounting knowledge and am able to use Excel much more efficiently.

I really enjoy this programme. The people at UBS are really nice and supportive. You learn so much in your time but are also treated as a full time employee gaining all the same benefits and same level of respect as anyone else in the team.

Yes I am treated as a member of the team, not like a child who doesn't know everything. They give me both responsibilities and support for my current skill level, slowly building it up in the months I have been there.

This was the first year UBS had offered an apprenticeship in Finance so as expected there were a few issues at the beginning but UBS were really keen to sort everything out and resolve it as quickly as possible. The structure works quite well with us taking whole weeks away from UBS to study with our training provider before taking our exams which I think works much better than doing one day a week which I am aware other apprenticeships do.

The teaching and online resources that Kaplan provide are of a really high standard which makes it very easy to engage and learn for exams. However, Kaplan also provide a talent coach who seems to have caused more problems than has fixed. Kaplan also had issues with submitting paperwork which resulted in the apprenticeship oyster cards that many of us applied for being stopped and that issue has still not been properly resolved approximately two months later.

I receive lots of support from UBS, from my manager, my team, my buddy and the apprenticeship coordinator. My manager and my team are all really supportive and are always happy to go through tasks with me and answer any questions I may have. My buddy has provided me with lots of advice for working at UBS and how to take my career forward after my apprenticeship ends.

My salary meets all the costs I currently have and gives me plenty more for spending money.

There are lots of social events of various types from drinks and networking to sporting competitions. Each provide their own merits and are an amazing way of meeting people. There are also lots of voluntary initiatives such as promoting the apprenticeship for next years students and mentoring at a local school. For instance, I am currently mentoring A level Further Maths on a Thursday evening.

Yes

But only if I thought that person was the right person for the job. Its an amazing opportunity to learn in a diverse and supportive environment and is a stepping stone to more advanced qualifications.

Relax and just be yourself. In the interview just give examples that are actually meaningful to you, as long as it is relevant, that answer will get you much further than telling them what you think they want to hear.