• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

UBS Cadetship (5 Viewers)

BiancaC

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
85
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
But what if you do a double degree at uni?
Exactly why I said its varied and is up to the discretion of UBS. Because of the very small number of cadets, the structure is varied usually on a per person basis.

At the end of the day it's another one of those cadetship features I think everyone is getting worried too much about. There are going to be parts of your degree where you work full time, and other parts of you're degree where you study full time. You come out with your degree(s) and work experience.
 

powlmao

Banned
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
Messages
3,970
Location
Hogwarts
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Thought so.

How do you find balancing work and study? Is it easy? Do you find your social life is hindered.
 

BiancaC

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
85
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
Thought so.

How do you find balancing work and study? Is it easy? Do you find your social life is hindered.
For the record I don't actually work at UBS, I did not accept my offer.

However I am at another firm. My firm and service line did not need me to work this year however most of my other friends who got cadetships are working this year so I can speak on behalf of them and my experiences with them.

Your social life is most definitely hindered. Most can balance work and study at accounting firms because you generally get between 3-7.5 hours per week to attend uni and you do only go part-time (mid tiers accounting firms usually offer less than Big 4). However, you generally won't fit all your classes in this time so another night of classes will generally also be needed. Your uni work/study/homework/assignments will be for the weekend when you aren't working so immediately your weekends are taken up by this study. Basically, the work/study balance is easy to manage. However, the work/study/social life balance is a lot harder and in the end something has got to give. The experience and benefit in the end though is usually worth far more than any sacrifice made.
 

seremify007

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2004
Messages
10,059
Location
Sydney, Australia
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Uni Grad
2009
I personally found the work/study balance get easier with time. After all, you're only doing 2 subjects a semester on a part time load. Just set rules for yourself (e.g. every Sunday I'll spend a solid 4 hours on this) and stick to it.
 

Meshy590

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
340
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
would it be a bad move to email the cadetship company to find out what happened with the emails?
 

powlmao

Banned
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
Messages
3,970
Location
Hogwarts
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
I wouldn't ask abou the emails. I would ask about the status of the application
 

Meshy590

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
340
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
hmm, when was the last day to accept the interview, if you don't mind me asking?
 

23011

Member
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
46
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
out of curiosity, is it difficult to move from back office positions to front office roles (if so how many years)
also, is it possible to apply for internships while under the cadetship, and then leave the cadetship to take up better opportunities as an intern if you are offered a position?
im just wondering what future job prospects are like if you undertake this cadetship, as in are you locked into working in ops or can you go for other internships while at uni and just use the cadetship for workplace experience. thanks
 

seremify007

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2004
Messages
10,059
Location
Sydney, Australia
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Uni Grad
2009
out of curiosity, is it difficult to move from back office positions to front office roles (if so how many years)
I don't even work at UBS but I'd be willing to bet its the exception rather than the rule. I wouldn't be counting on it especially after all that has happened in recent years and the perpetrators of material frauds.

also, is it possible to apply for internships while under the cadetship, and then leave the cadetship to take up better opportunities as an intern if you are offered a position?
im just wondering what future job prospects are like if you undertake this cadetship, as in are you locked into working in ops or can you go for other internships while at uni and just use the cadetship for workplace experience. thanks
You are not really forced to stay but there may be penalties depending on the individual terms of the contract (that's why it pays to read it carefully). That being said, going into a cadetship with the intention of dropping it asap for a better role is probably not the best mindset to be in given that cadetships typically exist to foster progression because you have extended experience with the respective organization. Similarly, joining a back or middle office role path with an expectation of front office moves is also likely to lead to disappointment.
 

runnable

Active Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
1,412
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
out of curiosity, is it difficult to move from back office positions to front office roles (if so how many years)
I would say very difficult. It does happen but very rare and almost hailed as a miracle if it worked out.
 

23011

Member
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
46
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
so do you think it is more worthwhile to wait for internship opportunities at university?
or if the cadetship isnt binding for more than 2 years, to work as a cadet and then drop it if a better opportunity through internships aride
 

23011

Member
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
46
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
You are not really forced to stay but there may be penalties depending on the individual terms of the contract (that's why it pays to read it carefully). That being said, going into a cadetship with the intention of dropping it asap for a better role is probably not the best mindset to be in given that cadetships typically exist to foster progression because you have extended experience with the respective organization. Similarly, joining a back or middle office role path with an expectation of front office moves is also likely to lead to disappointment.
i agree with you, but the experience gained through a cadetship is invaluable when vying for a front office position out of uni, at a different firm of coarse. so is it not worthwhile to use the cadetship as a learning curve/experience and then to apply for better positions later on. or is this frowned upon by the business world
 

BiancaC

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
85
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
i agree with you, but the experience gained through a cadetship is invaluable when vying for a front office position out of uni, at a different firm of coarse. so is it not worthwhile to use the cadetship as a learning curve/experience and then to apply for better positions later on. or is this frowned upon by the business world
It depends on the type of cadetship. There are people who have a much better advantage applying for a front-office position than someone with a back-office cadetship (i.e. a high scoring Com/Law student, Co-op scholar or Accounting cadet who already has more 'front-office' exposure). As seremify said "joining a back or middle office role path with an expectation of front office moves is also likely to lead to disappointment" They are totally different careers and I don't know how much leverage the back-office cadetship will provide you.
 

seremify007

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2004
Messages
10,059
Location
Sydney, Australia
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Uni Grad
2009
i agree with you, but the experience gained through a cadetship is invaluable when vying for a front office position out of uni, at a different firm of coarse. so is it not worthwhile to use the cadetship as a learning curve/experience and then to apply for better positions later on. or is this frowned upon by the business world
It's no different to any other professional work experience I'd say. The level of relevance from mid/back to front is not as much as you'd think and as BiancaC mentioned, there are far better ways of getting more relevant experience or skills to improve your chances of getting into front office. I'm not looking down on back/mid but rather, just highlighting there are some pretty significant differences to begin with, and then given that all the mess that has happened over the past couple of decades which showed what happens when you let someone with back/mid office knowledge end up in the front house, I don't think the path is as clear as it once was talked up to be.

I'll put it this way, moving from say auditing into the business you were once auditing is a normal move because you go from having an outsider's point of view to one where you can add value from your knowledge (i.e. they don't need to teach you fresh) and you can bring your experience and perspective. That's an example of where one role can lead to another. Working in back office and being measured on your ability to process things with less errors, getting through tickets and ordering them, etc... whilst they're great for staying organised and maybe helping mid office with regulatory requirements, they offer minimal (if any) benefit to the front office.
 

SanjoyM

Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
691
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Well, my friends heard back. Both of them attanined a position!
Dw, they are probably processing the documents etc.. :)
 

23011

Member
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
46
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
thanks so much for all your feedback, its really helped.
i just have two more quick questions to clarify.
are you saying that someone who has sayy.. 2-3 years work experience as a cadet and a WAM of 75 in com/law wouldnt have an advantage over someone who has no work experience and a WAM of 80-85? (im talking hypothetically if you were allowed to do a cadetship and study com/law)

also, do you mind me asking what other relevant work experience is there that would help with front office applications?
thanks again
 

BiancaC

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
85
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
thanks so much for all your feedback, its really helped.
i just have two more quick questions to clarify.
are you saying that someone who has sayy.. 2-3 years work experience as a cadet and a WAM of 75 in com/law wouldnt have an advantage over someone who has no work experience and a WAM of 80-85? (im talking hypothetically if you were allowed to do a cadetship and study com/law)

also, do you mind me asking what other relevant work experience is there that would help with front office applications?
thanks again
Generally you wont be doing a cadetship studying Com/Law because the firms usually won't allow and your marks difference as shown above is in the same range (distinction) anyway. By good marks, I mean a HD average (85+). There are many jobs these days in banking and finance which take people from all sorts of disciplines and backgrounds (so not just Commerce or Law students) but generally all they want is a HD average).

Your second question has been answered in my last post and in many other posts in this thread. An accounting cadetship or co-op placement MAY help with front office applications moreso than a UBS cadetship, however no work experience exists that can guarantee you a front-office position.
 

powlmao

Banned
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
Messages
3,970
Location
Hogwarts
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Just wanted to say a big thankyou for BiancaC and Seremify007,

You have really helped me with deciding upon this cadetship
 

23011

Member
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
46
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Just wanted to say a big thankyou for BiancaC and Seremify007,

You have really helped me with deciding upon this cadetship
i second that :)

Btw powlmao, what did you decide on the cadetship? worth it or not
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 5)

Top