Actuarial Analyst Review

The summer internship programme was highly rewarding and enjoyable overall - and most importantly was very educational in that I was able to gain experience and exposure to a wide range of different actuarial projects and tasks. These opportunities involved working on a variety of different clients, and thus with a range of different people from across the team and wider office in general.

From the outset I was made to feel like part of the team, and became integrated with my colleagues quickly. Everyone in the office was very approachable and friendly throughout my time with the firm, and continuously sought to ensure that I was progressing and coping with my workload.

As above, my colleagues made every effort to make sure I was managing my assigned tasks and projects, and were always on hand to get help or inquire about the work I was undertaking. I also had several meetings and catch up sessions with managers, and was given the opportunity to express and particular projects I would like to gain more exposure in and then tried to get me involved with these where possible.

Workloads often varied, but in general I had tasks to work on for the most part of each day. As well as general client and day-to-day calculation work, the Aon internship programme has a Corporate Social Responsibility project for all interns, through which interns work as part of small teams to organise charity events and raise money for good causes. So, when other tasks had been completed I always had work to do with respect to this.

The tasks I completed were very much real and necessary projects due for completion by various client teams. So the work I submitted went through the usual "Doer - Checker - Scrutineer" process, and was eventually submitted to the client in most cases. Hence the level of responsibility was quite high, I feel, throughout the placement, in particular towards the end of the internship when I was more familiar with the tasks.

Having been offered a chance to join the Aon Actuarial team in Glasgow immediately, I can see first hand that the skills I have picked up will assist me in the future - as I am now completing similar tasks and exercising similar skills on a day to day basis as a Graduate analyst. As well as the technical and mathematical skills I was able to develop, the "Soft" skills such as communicative, organisational and adaptability competencies have shown to be just as important.

The office atmosphere had, for the most part throughout my internship experience, a relaxed but professional feel. The team I work with is a very busy and fast-paced one, however everyone makes sure to make an effort to find a balance between this and a sociable atmosphere. Everyone was very friendly and I was able to build good relationships with my colleagues very quickly as a result of this.

The team I joined were prepared for my joining, and so I was set up with my own work space and computer/ programmes from day one. I was therefore able to get started on the work I was assigned quickly, and start learning as a result of this. The work load was mostly consistent throughout, as the team had pre-planned the various projects and areas I'd be able to assist with throughout.

Since I have now joined the team as a permanent member, I can see that it is clear that the company invests a great deal in its interns in terms of actively seeking to improve the skills they recognise to be important for the role, as well as introducing them to the work-ethic and methods which are applied throughout the firm. Also, as a graduate actuarial employee, the firm will invest heavily in your professional development, through exam support and funding.

As mentioned, I was able to join the actuarial consultancy team in Glasgow immediately, as there was a vacancy to be filled at the time. Several of the other interns employed over the same period of me have also been offered opportunities to join the firm permanently in the coming year, following their graduations, and some have also joined the other offices already. For these reasons, I'd have to say that future employment prospects within the company are good.

I was the only intern located in the Glasgow office, and so wasn't able to socialise with other interns except from the few events I attended in the London office- at which it was clear that the other interns had become close over the placement and socialised regularly. My colleagues in the Glasgow office do also arrange out of office events, and I attended some of these during my employment.

The offices are located in the City centre's, and so cost of living is expectedly high in places, but with lots of opportunity to budget/ save money also.

Again, as expected for a city-based location.

As mentioned previously, there was various events organised during my internship employment outside of work.