Client Account Manager Review

My role as a Client Account Mnager or CAM is to assit the Client Advisor in holding the client relationship. I action trade and payment requests when they are made and also help to update the client's account with any changes in address, contact details or preferences. Additionally, I open new accounts and portfolios for clients and am their first point f contact when contacting the bank with a query or request.

During my time as a CAM I have learnt to prioritize far better than I previously had. This is due to the multitude of different requests you may receive in a day- all requiring different actions. My time management and inter-personal skills have also improved during the role as I have had to take on greater responsibility and more client contact.

I enjoy the work side of my program a lot, especially in my new role. Previously, my tasks were quite repetitive and there was not much variation. However, since becoming a full time CAM I have greater responsibility and independence. However, I do not enjoy the university side of the apprenticeship as much- this is due to the poor quality of teaching and lack of attention from UoE to the Apprentice program.

The UBS side of the program is very well structured and organized. There is a clear progression plan in place within Wealth Management and progress is tracked often with Line Manager meetings. However, the UoE side of the course is very poorly organized. The course calendar was not finalized and released until 2 weeks before we were due to start our course. Not only did this cause problems on desk with unexpected time off but it also meant we could not book any holiday due to potential clashes. Even once the calendar was released multiple dates were changed soon after and they had even booked classes on a bank holiday- a huge error which should not occur for such a well respected university.

UBS is great at supporting apprentices. All staff are willing to lend advice and have a chat about any queries on the desk. When we arrived we were provided with an on desk mentor and a program mentor who was able to answer any queries we had. We were also provided with a cohort mentor who holds a quarterly meeting with us to discuss any issues with the University or our study side. Additionally, my line manager is hugely supportive with my role and holds fortnightly catch up meetings.

Whilst support is available from the University it is fairly poor. Our academic mentors provide timely and reasonable updates which are greatly received, however, the actual lecturers are often poor at responding or providing help. However, this varies greatly depending on which lecturer you have for a given module.

Initially, I felt the industry qualifications helped little in our daily role. However, this was due to the initial apprentice role I was performing. Now conducting the full CAM role I can link areas of the curriculum to my job and find it interesting to see the application. This means the program now helps me understand the background behind more of my work/ required checks.

I am a member of UBS MOSAIC Network which stands for greatly equality in the work place. Through this I have arranged and attended multiple events for people across the bank. I am also a member of the Wealth Management football team who play for fund a couple of time a quarter.

Yes

I would recommend the bank as I feel it has a great culture and the program provided offers a brilliant start to your career. Whilst there are some issues with Exeter, this is not UBS' fault and they are working hard to fix them. I enjoy coming into work and think the desk and entire bank culture is one of collaboration and a great space to work in. Finally, the offer of receiving a degree whilst being paid and earning industry experience and exams at the same time is unparalleled.

My top tip would be to be yourself and to understand whether it is the correct culture fit. A large part of any final interview is based on whether you would fit in with the firm and its people, so try to portray your character and beliefs as well as possible during the final stages.