Internship Review at Standard Life

The Role

Role Description

I had a stand-alone project for most of the summer, studying a mathematical model which the company had bought from a consulting firm. My task was to understand how it worked, and recommend whether it would be suitable for use by Standard Life. In addition, I helped with various other tasks such as checking work done by my colleages, generating mortality data and writing a template for use in Actuarial reporting.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

A great summer. I gained a lot of experiece, both in the Actuarial filed and simply in terms of working in an office environment as part of a small team. It was also, most of the time, extremely fun!

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

AS an Actuarial intern, it can sometimes be difficult to feel like you are actually contributing to the team, because the other memers have a lot more knowledge and experience than you do. I do feel like the project I worked on was of value to the company, however.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Whenever I needed it, and sometimes even when I didn't!

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was rarely bored, there is always something to do, or read, or learn about.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was left to my own devices to come up with whatever conclusion I felt appropriate from my project, and so I think I was given a lot of responsibility.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Invaluable, both in terms of Actuarial and other skills.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Well, our team was fun! I'm not entirely sure whether we were typical, however...

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Interns at Standard Life are extremely well cared for.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

See above.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Company Parties/Events
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I would like to work with the company.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

There was a great sense of community between the interns.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Edinburgh is relatively expensive, but it's not like living in London!

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Edinburgh. Festival time. Lovely.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Monday Night football. Awesome.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

It's a great experience, and I would encourage any Actuarial or related student to apply. I would say it's important to be aware that as a penultimate year student, you should be aware that there will be people around you who are a lot more knowledgeable than you. If you can get over this, and throw yourself into it, you should have a great summer.

Review 14/26 for Standard Life

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