Retirement consultant Review

by Mercer

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

Rating

2.6/5
  • The Role
    3.0
  • The Company
    1.9
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • It was fine. The only problem was we didn't have a lot to do, the other interns were nice though and we were treated well, it was just a case of overcoming extreme boredom a lot of the time.

    3/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • I felt that the tasks we were giving would have been done quicker and better by the people giving them to us, this seems to have been part of the learning curve and something everyone who had worked there went through but at times it seemed a bit pointless getting us to do things.

    3/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Everyone was really approachable and the atmosphere was very supportive. Only thing lacking was any kind of organised social events for the interns.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Again, most of the time I was really bored.

    2/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • We seemed to be given the same work as the new grads but on a lower level. The work of everyone in the office was triple checked before it was sent to clients and the atmosphere was very uncompetitive so it was hard to ask for any extra responsibilities.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • Helped with some of the calculations I have done at uni this year. It was good to experience what its like to work in an office and my skills in microsoft excel improved greatly. I was also part of a couple of presentations which has made me more confident about presenting.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Most of the other people who worked there were quite quiet, there were only 2 other interns on my floor and we didn't sit together. Had its moments though, the guy opposite me was obsessed with spreadsheets which was funny if you're into that kind of thing!

    1/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Not much contact with hr during the placement, not enough work to do, not enough social activities.

    2/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • I think that if you decided to take a job you would be very well supported in your studies for the actuarial exams and they did seem to genuinely want you to do well.

    4/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Subsidised Canteen
    1/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • It was ok but I can't imagine myself settling into that environment just yet. They do seem to offer a career for life and their training package was excellent. There were also opportunities to travel abroad once you had worked for the company for around 3 years. I just can't imagine finding doing the work I did on the internship everyday for the rest of my life and finding it interesting.

    2/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • It was ok but only as some of the interns in a different department were pretty good at organising things. Our department was pretty rubbish.

    2/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • It's London, I'm used to it because I study down here but I won't lie, a lot of my wages were spent just on my rent and travel. It would have been nice to have been given a bigger allowance for the fact that the internship was located in London.

    5/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Again, its London, if you know where to go its great. Only downside is the extreme expense and it can sometimes be pretty pretentious.

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Our department didn't organise much social stuff. Saying that though, we did get taken out twice when 2 people on our floor qualified as actuaries.

    2/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

October 2008

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