Andrew Farrington - Mercer - January 2008
Andrew is 20, studying Mathematics at Lancaster University. He recently completed a summer placement with Mercer at their Manchester office.
- Where did you hear about the job?
After deciding I was interested in actuarial positions, I looked on the Actuarial Profession’s website and came across Mercer and the opportunities they offer.
- What was the application and interview process like?
Very different to anything I’d done before. It started off with an online application form, and then I took part in a phone interview. I was soon told that I was through to the final stage – an assessment day. This consisted of psychometric testing, two interviews, a group exercise and presenting a topic to a recruiter. Sounds daunting, but it wasn’t as scary as it seems!
- What does your role entail?
I worked as an Actuarial Trainee in Retirement. In plain English, this involved contributing to all areas of pensions consulting work. Some examples include doing individual calculations, using Excel to manipulate data and contributing to financial reports.
- What have you learnt so far?
How much you can fit into a day! The broad range of tasks help to put into practice some of the theory you learn at university.
- Best part?
Definitely the people! I found that you get to work with a variety of people who all have different interests. This means you are never too far away from a new social or event outside of work to keep you busy if you want to get involved.
- Worst part?
With it being a summer placement, I was commuting from my parents’ home every day - an hour or so each way on the train. As anyone that does a daily commute will tell you, it’s not fun!
- What advice do you have for students looking for a placement?
Go for it. They help you to try out potential careers without being tied down to working there long term. Plus, as any placement student will tell you…the money comes in handy too!
The RateMyPlacement Team would like to thank Andy once again for his time and effort.
