As part of our Focus on…Going Abroad, hear from David Taylor, an Edinburgh Alum who found his #GoingAbroad experience with Mountbatten let him straight into his current job as an Investment Manager.
“After studying a Mathematics degree at the University of Edinburgh, I worked for a large Investment Bank in their Fund Accounting team before applying for the Mountbatten Institute’s New York programme. I thought it would be a great way to advance my career and help me push towards a Front Office role. At the time I wasn’t overly fussed about New York, and it wasn’t until I arrived in the States that it truly hit me.
My office was on the 12th floor overlooking 6th Avenue and Radio City. I was in the heart of Midtown Manhattan working in a Quantitative team at UBS Global Asset Management, reporting to the Deputy Global Head of Equities. I was thrown in at the deep end having to use coding not touched on since my University days, and producing reports which scrutinised the Investment Strategies of UBS fund managers. I was given great responsibility and offered exposure to some key names in the Asset Management industry.
There were so many great moments had during the year with a couple of highlights being in the audience for the Late Night Show with David Letterman when Barack Obama was a guest, and spending my first Christmas away from home with a group of friends in a snowy lake house in Lake Placid. The other stand out memory was taking part in the Tartan Day Parade in which I led the parade up Avenue of Americas whilst accompanying the Grand Marshal for the day, Kevin McKidd.
As well as having a fantastic year abroad making new friends and contacts, a year abroad adds a significant amount to an individual’s CV, and is a key differentiator when it comes to applying for jobs and interviewing.
I am now a qualified Chartered Wealth Manager working as an Investment Manager at Investec Wealth & Investment. With the year in America coming to an end I reached out to people in the industry I wanted to work in for advice. One of these contacts was both a Mountbatten and University of Edinburgh alumni who was leaving her role. She was happy to meet me and add my CV to the pile to take her place at Investec and I am still here four years later.”
Laura Jack, another Mountbatten Alum who worked at Thomson Reuters will be speaking on our Gone Abroad Student Panel on Tuesday, 23rd Jan at 1pm.
The Mountbatten Institute are currently advertising 12 month internships in New York City – apply now!
Focus on…GoingAbroad week – 22-26 January
Find out more about opportunities to spend your summer abroad (lots being advertised right now), funding (register for Erasmus+ and Go Abroad Fund) and hear from students sharing their international experiences. Look out for #GoingAbroad events on MyCareerHub and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @uofedcareers #GoingAbroad
