Summer Intern Review

by Allianz UK

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

Rating

3.7/5
  • The Role
    4.6
  • The Company
    3.3
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • Working at Allianz UK was definitely an enjoyable experience. I was exposed to many areas of the business, across two locations, and constantly encouraged to explore new challenges and responsibilities. I had a lot of control and independence over my role, and I was lucky enough to work in a great atmosphere with a really friendly, encouraging team.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt incredibly valued by my colleagues, in particular my superiors. I was always encouraged to keep up the work I was doing, I received positive feedback on a regular basis, and I was invited to showcase my work to "higher-ups" from outside my department. The importance and expected impact of my projects was always clear to me, and being trusted to manage these projects by myself gave me a great sense of value at Allianz.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • The support chain above me - three people, primarily - managed to strike an excellent balance between guiding and helping me where necessary, and letting me carry on with things alone where I was able to. There was always someone available to ask for help when it was needed, and I never felt like there was a question I couldn't ask, or like I shouldn't stop someone to ask for help.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • My workload varied from day-to-day, although my line manager always ensured I had something to do. If I found myself with free time, I always had either "ongoing" projects I could work on, or I could ask her for something to work on. When I was assigned tasks, in meetings or ad hoc, I was always free to push back if I was too busy, or rearrange my schedule as necessary.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was attached to half a dozen projects, two of which I was fully responsible for. This was excellent for me, as I could balance working underneath someone and learning from them with running my own projects and getting experience of managing upwards. I was able to request the resources I needed, schedule time with the people I needed and dedicate my own time to work on the projects, without having to check every step with someone else.

    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 most valuable benefits I received in the internship were experience in managing upwards, and exposure and experience to large-scale project meetings. Over the 9 weeks at Allianz I gradually became comfortable with presenting my work at meetings and giving instructions to other staff, some of whom were superior to me.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The office was a very friendly environment, despite being very busy and hectic at times! Being surrounded by so many busy, hard-working people in an atmosphere that was relaxed and inviting was the perfect combination to foster good work and productivity for me. Efforts were continually made to make employees comfortable: fresh fruit, a "chill out" break room, ice cream on hot days, etc.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Organisation was good, but could be improved. We were given all of the information we needed, although some of it could have been sent a lot sooner, especially in the run-up to the placement. Once the placement began, however, organisation was no problem: my role was well defined and everything was waiting for me when I got to the office, and the placement coordinators were always within easy reach.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I was able to explore any area of the business that interested me, sit in on any meeting or gathering that I felt could be relevant, and ask questions to anyone who I felt could help me. I was encouraged to set up meetings with people in other areas of the business, in order to talk to them and learn about their role. However, there was no formal training or development aspect to the placement.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • The future prospects are very appealing, to the right kind of person. However, my personal interests at the moment to not align well with future careers in Allianz, so I will not be pursuing further employment with Allianz.

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • To the best of my knowledge, all placement students who were at the same office location often met and worked or relaxed together. As the company is spread across the UK, there was not a lot of cross-office social scene, outside of the organised placement events.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I stayed at my term-time home for the placement, in North London, so living costs were "normal" for me, but higher than average around the UK. The office was in Brentford, so commuting meant a 40-60 minute train/tube (costing around £6/day), or a cycle ride of a similar length. Very little socialising happened outside the office, so I'm not well-equipped to comment on that.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • I stayed at my term-time home and worked a second job during the evenings, so nightlife was no different for me than it was outside the placement.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Very few activities were organised outside of work, besides a half-way and closing meet-up of all placement students. There was a company party to celebrate 125 years of Allianz, which very few placement students were able to attend.

    2/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

November 2015


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