Aon Risk Solutions Intern - GBC - F and PS - UK Retail Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship with Aon. I was placed in the Global Broking Centre in London within the UK team. I was given really interesting work and felt like part of the team immediately. My manager organised me to take part in numerous rotations in my department including claims, US/Canada and PI. This gave me a broader understanding of the business and Aon's role in the wider insurance market. The training I received was very in depth and I felt I can ask questions very easily.

From my first day in the office, I felt like a member of the team. My collegaues made me extremely welcome, giving me great responsibilty on projects, including me in meetings, introducing me other members on the floor and answering any questions I had. I was given a key role in numerous, large-scale projects that the team were working on including undertaking vital research and completing spreadsheets.

I cannot fault the support and guidance I received by my manager. She was always on hand to answer any questions I had whether that being on the work I was undertaking or Aon as a whole. Each piece of work she gave me was interesting, thought-provoking and, most importantly, useful to the team. She would explain the process of how to approach/best to complete it so each day I learnt something new. She also made me feel very comfortable approaching her with issues outside of work on a social and personal level.

Throught my 9 weeks at Aon I was kept busy working on team projects as well as the assigned CSR project all interns had to complete. Each member of the team would give me constructive pieces of work which led to take part in meetings and workshops across the business. The CSR project was a very enjoyable element of the internship. It meant me collaborating with all parts of the business as well as other members of my team who were based around the country. Every day of the time at Aon I felt valued and part of the team.

I was given appropiate responsibility during my time at Aon. On team projects I would be on hand to carry out research to add to client portfolio's including benchmarking, analysing company reports and creating an overview of their most recent year in business. In addition, I was also given the responsibility of broking a deal in Lloyds on my own to get a slip signed/approved. This made me feel hugely valued and trusted by other members of my team.

I feel like the skills I picked up during my internship enhanced the ones I had but also gave me the confidence in a business environment to talk to new people, write formal emails and carry out responsibility on a daily basis. In addition, being surrounded and immersed in a company with a very strong work ethic has motivated me to complete my studies at a similar tempo and to drive for the best results.

The atmosphere in the office was always enjoyable and productive. People were very approachable and enjoyed their work which translated in a very welcoming, fun but hard-working environment. I always felt comfortable in speaking to people regarding work and the agile working enivornment meant I sat next to someone new everyday. This not only allowed me to learn new things everyday but broaden my understanding of the different roles in the business.

The internship was very well set up in terms of organisation but also allowed for flexibilty. There was a clear structured programme with training days at the beginning which gave me key background knowledge of the business and wider insurance market. This also gave all of the interns to get to know each other better. We were also allocated into groups for our CSR projects and was given a clear timeline of when reports/presentations had to be submitted. However, the internship also allowed for flexibility in giving our managers the freedom to organise rotations and further training days.

Aon invested lots of time into my personal development and training. I was given one-to-one training on different areas of policy that the team I was sitting in placed which only enhanced the knowledge obtained during the dedicated training days at the beginning of the internshp. I also felt like I could ask any questions I had which only added to my learning and understanding. I was encouraged to approach and speak to new people which improved my confidence and communcation skills as I engage in conversation with people across all parts of the business.

I was delighted to hear that I had been offered a permanent graduate role with Aon a few months after I left. The opportuntiy to work at the organisation again is brilliant and I was so pleased to hear that my first rotation will be back in the team in which I did my internship. This gives me the chance to enhance my understanding of this area of the business further in a team that are extremely welcoming and helpful. In addition, the flexibility of my rotations in my 2 years on the graduate programme in extremely appealing as it will give me the chance to cover different areas of policy and how other they differ from what i already know.

The social scene amongst fellow interns was really good. I met up with the ones based in London regularly as we was all based in the same building so it was easy to organise events outside of working hours. We also attended each others charity event nights in order to support the individual charities and each others personal efforts in the CSR projects. After each intern training event Aon provided food and drink which encouraged everyone to get to know each other more and I met friends that I have stayed in contact with after my internship.

Due to being placed in London, drinks etc are more than they would be anywhere else in the country. However, the food in the Aon cafe was very reasonable and affordable which meant I bought most of my lunches there. In addition, Aon provided free coffee and fruit throughout the day which saved money further. We received company discounts at local bars which included promotional offers on drinks and cocktails. The cost of working in the city of london was not a factor I considered very often as Aon made it affordable through their salary/benefits.

The nighlife in the city of London was very good. The company held social events which gave you the opportunity to mingle with other collegues to get to know them better. There was lots of places to eat and drink around the office on 122 Leadenhall street so people were always keen to socialise beyond working hours.

There were lots of opportunties to get involved in activites such as being part of the womens network as well as other courses and training days. As an intern I thought I might not be told/included in the invitations to these events however Aon were very keen to get the interns involved in these parts of the business which I was extremely appreciated and valued. It not only made me feel valued at the company but also showed their intent to invest in you as an individual.