Actuarial Summer Student Review

I really enjoyed my internship at Hymans Robertson. The staff were always very friendly and supportive and I was made to feel comfortable straight away. I was given a variety of work to do which kept the job interesting throughout my 8 weeks. I also enjoyed getting involved with social activities outside of work.

I always felt valued by my colleagues, many different members of the team set me work and tasks to do which helped me get involved with a variety of tasks. I was made to feel like part of the team throughout my internship. I knew that all the work I was doing was real client work, and this made me feel valued by my colleagues.

My people manager always gave me support. She arranged weekly catch up sessions where we could discuss feedback and how the internship was going. If I asked for some work to do she always found me something to help with. She always gave me her personal feedback too, and was really encouraging of work that I had done well.

In the first couple of weeks of the internship I wasn’t that busy as I was involved in a lot of training exercises. However, as the internship went on I was given lots of work to do which kept me busy throughout. The mix of work given to me by others and my individual project meant I was never bored.

I feel that I was given quite a lot of responsibility during my internship. I had to write emails and send out final documents/quotes to clients. I was encouraged to communicate with external administrators if necessary. Overall, because all the work I was doing was client work, I was trusted to produce high quality pieces of work.

One of the main skills I have developed is using Excel. I have used Excel for a variety of tasks throughout the internship, learning new formulas and functions. This will definitely help me in my studies when I have to do programming modules. Having to do a presentation at the end of my internship has improved my communication skills. This is a key skill that will be very useful in the future.

There was a really friendly atmosphere in the office. It was always pretty relaxed and there was no feel of hierarchy. Everyone was always happy to talk or answer any questions I had throughout my internship. I feel that the team in general got along really well too which was nice to be a part of.

At the start of the internship I was given a plan of the next 8 weeks so I knew what would be going on. I was assigned a people manager and a buddy to help me along the way. I also had regular catch up and feedback sessions with my people manager. I think overall the internship was organised really well.

I was given basic health and safety and legal/risk training when I first joined. In terms of job training, my buddy showed me everything I had to do in order to complete work that he had set me. Sessions were also arranged by one of the students to train us on some aspects of work. I think the company made an effort to provide me with a great insight to the job.

Future employment prospects are very appealing with Hymans Robertson. I have had such an enjoyable 8 weeks at the company, I would definitely like to work here after I graduate. They have provided me great feedback along the way to help me improve which I know would be the same if I worked here as a graduate.

My colleagues arranged drinks after work and lunches out on a Friday which was enjoyable.

I can’t comment on the cost of living as I stayed at home during my internship. The office was located in Birmingham city centre so socialising is more expensive than other places, but not ridiculous. Food was generally priced reasonably, with drinks being a bit more expensive. I travelled to work by train and I thought the cost was quite reasonable.

The nightlife in Birmingham is really good. There are lots of bars/restaurants and clubs to go out to. Most of these places are located quite close to the office too.

When I first joined there were a few outings to the pub after work, and after that one or two social events were arranged. We also had lunch out a few times on a Friday.