Actuarial Intern Review

by abrdn

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.4/5
  • The Role
    4.5
  • The Company
    4.3
  • The Culture
    4.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I couldn't fault the internship. I was given a large degree of responsibility (far more than I had anticipated) and felt that I was contributing to the firm in a real and quantifialble manner.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Colleagues are very friendly, welcoming and approachable. If you ever had a question or query you need not hesitate to ask. There is an ethos that "no question is stupid" and I believe that the colleagues I worked with supported this idea fully.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • Feedback was readily provided on performance and whenever I felt that something was beyond my capabilities I would be given assistance in how to complete the task so I had learnt from the experience rather than just being given something that I could do without much trouble.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Initially (first couple of weeks) I was less busy than I would have liked. This was through no fault of the team I worked with but simply a by-product of the role I was in. I was required to run a number of large macros in Excel which were time consuming - a lot of time was spent waiting for the results to come in from these programs. By the end of the internship I had a very balanced calendar of work as the reporting aspect kicked in and I began prepping a presentation on my time at the company.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • In regards to my project, myself and my line manager were left with sole responsibility for it's completion. As my line manager had other tasks to work on at the same time there were numerous days where I was left to work on the task by myself, taking sole responsibility for any tasks required that day.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills I have learnt at Standard Life have been invaluable. I have seen how the knowledge learnt at university is put into practice in a business environment which has provided context to all future learning undertaken. In addition, my skills in Excel and R have vastly improved, skills which will assist in my project work in my final year of my degree.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The office was a professional environment (hence not marked with "fun never stopped!") but within that there was scope to have fun and enjoy your time. There is a clear encouragement to help each other and you can often find staff by others desks helping on something they are finding challenging or providing context to some results obtained. A pleasant place to work!

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • After the assessment centre and job offer I was kept in continual contact with the firm. A facebook group was set up to encourage all the interns from the different schemes in the office to get to know one another and network before our official start date. A welcome day was run to allow us to network further. Once the internship started we were provided with a line and team manager along with a contact in HR and a buddy graduate from the scheme you were in. All of these individuals were actively available to you in the event you needed assistant. Overall, a very well managed experience.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Sessions on training in presentation skills and successful meetings were provided. In addition there were numerous "Academy" events where speakers would provide information on specific topics such as risk management, of which we were encouraged to attend.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Healthcare from home

    5/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I would gladly return to work for Standard Life. I have had a fantastic placement and feel that I have made a valid contribution to the team I have been working in. I am unaware of how many graduates the firm will be taking on for intake in 2012 so am unsure on whether I will "make the cut".

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • There were 10 interns in total and we all got on incredibly well. We went out after work regularly and met up at weekends. We also had lunch together almost every day.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Edinburgh is not an overly expensive city, and if you know the right places you can easily go out on a night out and spend well under £20.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The Edinburgh Festival was on during the internship so clubs were open until 5am. The town is busy during this time which makes the nightlife great.

    5/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Actively invited to attend out of work events. These included charity runs and events with the graduates such as "Harry Potter" nights.

    5/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Actuary

Scotland

August 2011


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