Summer Intern Review

My summer internship was within the Investment branch of Hymans and Robertson and lasted for two months. Overall, it was an enjoyable and rewarding experience. I was given a good insight into the world of pensions particularly the investment aspect of assets within pension schemes. One aspect I was disappointed by was the lack of rotation between other branches of the firm during my placement.

I felt quite valued by my colleagues overall, they were all very friendly and willing to help. I also felt that my ideas/suggestions were taken abroad and considered even though I was an intern. There were also a number of social events such as drinks and team lunches throughout the placement which made me feel very welcome.

Overall, I was quite happy with the support I was given. Everybody at Hymans was friendly and open to any questions I had, no matter the seniority. Hymans also has a buddy system for interns which was very helpful as I had a friendly face to talk to if I had any problems.

I think overall, I wasn't kept busy enough with work which is one aspect I think the internship could have been improved upon. I felt some of the projects that were given to me, they overestimated the length and difficulty of the projects and so I was given very generous deadlines. However, other interns generally felt they had the right amount of work so this may be more of a personal feeling.

I felt I was given a fair bit of responsibility during my summer internship. All interns are given their own project during the start of their placement to work on over the two months. The interns are generally given a fair bit of freedom in regards to their project and my own project would benefit the firm. Day to day work I was given was usually client based and so I felt quite a lot of responsibility for those bits of work which sometimes involved directly liaising with clients.

I further developed my organisational, analytical and communication skills which will directly assist me while at my final year of university. I think this internship also provided me with a good glimpse into the life of being an actuary especially the importance of juggling work while studying for the actuarial exams.

The general atmosphere is pretty relaxed and friendly. There isn't particularly a workaholic feeling in the office either and you are generally encouraged to take breaks or bring up issues in regards to heavy workloads. There was also a number of team bonding events such as social drinks, nights out and team lunches/dinners.

I think overall the summer internship was set up quite well. I would have liked more opportunities to rotate around other practices within the office to see other types of work actuary's are involved in. I had a few issues at the beginning, mostly to do with IT that prevented me with starting work right away and so the internship was quite slow at the start.

There was quite a lot of training available for interns, some compulsory and some optional. I was also invited to a number of briefings and client meetings to further expand my knowledge. These especially allowed me to learn a lot more about the actuarial profession as well as providing me with more knowledge in regards to the general economy and economic environment.

At the end of the summer internship, some interns will be given a graduate opportunity at the firm. This depends on a number of factors such as the summer intern project and presentation, general work ethic and feedback from other colleagues. I think there are also opportunities to switch departments if you are offered the graduate role.

Yes, throughout the internship, I was invited to a number of events ranging from sports to dinners. There is also an annual away day for the whole of the department which everyone looks forward to. There were also a number of after work drinks and there is also a regular five aside football session during lunchtimes.

My internship was based in London and generally the cost of living in London is very expensive. However, I attend university in London so I was already used to it. The office is in the centre of London and very convenient and there are a huge number of different options for lunch. There are a number of tube stations nearby and so commuting to the office was fairly easy.

London is one of the best cities for nightlife as there is so much to do, downside is that it can be very expensive. As the office is near the centre of London, there are a number of different bars and pubs nearby that are only a few minutes walk which is very convenient for getting drinks after work.

As mentioned before there were a lot of events and activities organised outside of work ranging from sports to drinks and dinners.