Uptree

In August last year, four Uptree students - Alex, Beatriz, Moriayo and Tawile, attended Europa Capital ’s one day work experience event with Uptree. Here they were given the opportunity to apply for a longer placement with the Europa Capital team: a virtual internship running across three days in October.

Being selected for the placement was a competitive process, but these four students all had a keen interest in the property industry and had learnt about the firm in the August event.

In this group interview, we asked our future property professionals about how this opportunity helped them and what advice they have for other students with a similar passion.

Has this opportunity helped you to make a decision about what to do after school or university?

Tawile : I still haven't fully decided which exact field of investment/finance to specialise in after university but the Europa Capital experience showed me that real estate investment is definitely an option to consider. I didn't find that there are as many work experience opportunities in real estate investment since most are often investment banking opportunities, so it was amazing to take part in such a unique, eye-opening work experience programme.

Moriayo: Taking part in this programme has solidified my interests in going into private equity a few years after university. I learnt about the many different pathways to real estate and realised that there is no one set route.

Alex : This experience has certainly made me consider a career in real estate investment more seriously than I had before.

Not only this, but it has also made me want to explore other niches in finance which I haven’t looked into which I might find just as compelling.

Beatriz: This opportunity has indeed helped me formulate a decision on which sectors I’d consider working in after school or university. It enabled me to gain a greater insight into real estate investment management and all the division involved. From there I was able to distinguish which division I prefer and research further any other field of work for that specific division.

What inspired you on the programme?

Tawile: Honestly, everybody from Europa that we met during the programme inspired me! They were all so incredibly dynamic, with most not having a typical real estate background.

I was inspired by how brave many of them were to switch to a completely new field of work, and by the passion they had for working at Europa.

Have you kept in touch with any of the other interns?

Tawile: Yes we all connected on Linkedin to stay in touch with each other.

Moriayo : I'd actually met one of the other participants before at a previous finance event which was great. Following the programme, we all connected on LinkedIn.

What was your favourite session as part of the week?

Alex : My favourite session was about acquisitions in real estate, presented by Viktor and Aiden. I found the work involved in acquisitions to be particularly interesting as it involves initial analysis of possible investments and a final bid for the property. This builds a complex understanding of property markets and also of the specific sector of property, such as residential.

Moriayo: I enjoyed all of the sessions but my favourite session of the week was probably the session with acquisitions . Firstly, it was very interesting to learn about specific case studies. Besides this, I felt that presenters were most relatable as they were still relatively junior in the firm. This gave me a clearer understanding of what sort of tasks I might be required to do in the earlier years of my career.

Beatriz : For me my favourite session was on investor relations and how one’s role in managing that requires organisation and very good people skills. It was interesting to hear the experience of the individual and get an insight into how a role that may not be considered to be ‘crucial’ is in fact very important in maintaining the smooth running of operations.

Do you have any advice for other young people interested in a similar career?

Tawile: Take advantage of platforms such as Uptree and work experience programmes offered by firms like Europa Capital , aside from these programmes looking really good on your CV, they are important for you to expand your understanding of the investment/finance industry so that you may begin to get an idea of which field interests you the most.

Moriayo : Do not worry about not being good enough if you are from a traditionally underrepresented background.

What is more important is to try and get as much exposure as you can to the industry by asking around, or joining organisations like Uptree.

Alex : From my experience there seems to be a big emphasis on a career in banking if you want to go into finance and because of this it is easy to remain unaware of the other careers that there are.

By making the most out of any opportunities that are available you might be surprised to find something that you really enjoy, even if it has nothing to do with what you had thought you wanted to do.

Uptree wishes Alex, Beatriz, Moriayo and Tawile all the best in their future careers and we thank them for sharing their experiences with us and you today.

If you're a student interested in careers in property, visit Europa Capital's company page and scroll down to see what opportunities they have coming up.

If you're a current employer or organisation looking to work with young people and would like to chat to the Uptree team - please get in touch at info@uptree.co