Summer Intern Review

I totally enjoyed my internship at Aon! There is nothing I could have complained of! I have met some awesome colleagues who are also my friends now. Not only they shared kindly with me their knowledge on work but also gave me some useful advices on life and personal development! I also enjoyed the working culture and ethics of the company. There was a perfect work-life balance and a clear separation between work and private time. Aon is the kind of company that I would love to work for and stay for a long time!

My colleagues had been very kind to me and introduced me to people across different departments. I was always invited to lunches and was lucky to have the chance to go to a few team celebration meals as well! I never felt excluded. Indeed, I always felt that I was part of the team and was able to contribute to the team work. They also shared with me their personal experiences and were willing to give me advices on aspects that I could improve on.

I was assigned to a line manager and a buddy throughout the internship. And during each project that I am on, there were also a project manager and senior members of the team guiding me through the work. I worked closely with the project manager to understand the work that the team is doing. Team members also explained the work in details to me. Whenever there were any new skills and tools that I had not come across with, they made sure that I got familiar with the new knowledge and would be able to apply them in the future. My buddy was also super helpful and kind in making sure that I was on top of everything. He contacted me on a daily basis to make sure that I was doing well in the office. My line manager arranged a catch-up meeting around once a week to give me feedback and advices on how I could improve on specific areas.

I was given a reasonable amount of work throughout the internship. 9am to 6pm was typical working hours. I was always willing to stay for longer but the office was usually empty by 8pm. I could leave earlier than 5.30pm if I had other commitments so the hours were flexible. Workload varied in terms of the progress of the projects but on most occasions, I could spare some time out to talk to people within and outside the team, which was very beneficial to me! It was nice to be able to spare 15 minutes each day to arrange a coffee meeting with different people. It helped me a lot on understanding more about the company and the industry. It was also beneficial for me to experience the company culture. I never felt overloaded with work but instead, I had the freedom to explore areas of the industry that I am interested in and I am sure that this is very important for the development of my future career.

There were a few stages throughout my internship. At the beginning of my internship, I was mainly shadowing other team members, learning the analytical skills and tools that are essential. This is beneficial to someone who has never been in the professional workplace as it allows new joiners to pick up the techniques quickly. After that, I was given chances to apply the skills I have learnt by doing analysis myself and meeting some clients personally. I was very pleased that I was given more responsibility gradually. There was a good learning curve and I am satisfied with my personal achievement.

I am confident that I can apply the soft skills that I have developed through this internship to anywhere in the future! I have developed my analytical skills and techniques on using different software and programmes. These are useful in different aspects as my thinking skill is brushed up. Moreover, I am also delighted that I have brushed up my interpersonal skills. Culture in a workplace is very different from that in university. After working with people from different backgrounds, I have developed the skills of understanding others’ needs and the balance between being professional while being friends with my colleagues. I also had experiences in dealing with clients where communication was the key to resolve any misunderstanding.

Everyone is super friendly in the office! It was very easy to get along with people. Questions were always welcome and all colleagues were willing to spare some time out to help each other out. There was also often a share of knowledge. Talks and sharing sessions were regularly held where colleagues came together to share their experiences and how to improve in the future. In addition there was a good balance between work and leisure. While being very professional and efficient at work, people came together as a group for lunch and everyone was very inclusive.

The internship was very well structured. There were around 2 interns in each department. And projects were assigned to interns by departments separately. Apart from the regular work that wass assigned, interns were also divided into groups and each group was responsible for supporting a charity. It was a great opportunity to meet and cooperate with interns across departments and regions. There was also a huge sense of accomplishment to be able to make a difference in the local charities and gave back to the ones who are in need.

There were various learning opportunities. There were lunch and learn sessions every week for interns where managers across different companies spoke to us about some business techniques, insights of the industry, as well as future development plans of the company. I was sure that I was valued a lot by the company. I was not just there for a summer helping out but there were resources given to me for me to grow beyond the internship. There were also trainings organised by the departments where I was educated with in-depth knowledge of the industry. I would not have been able to obtain such detailed information elsewhere thus I found them extremely useful.

I am very interested in future opportunities within the organisation. Aon encourages its colleagues to develop varies goals in their career life and encourages them to develop their own interests. There are plenty of opportunities to develop difference skills, for example, there are workshops and learning sessions regularly. There is also a high flexibility in work that there is free rotation among departments. There are also chances to move and work in other offices across the globe such as New York, Singapore, Rotterdam etc. Since Aon is a multinational company with global footprint, I think it is the ideal place for me to explore my career options as well as enhancing my personal development.

Everyone within the company was extremely friendly. When I first arrived, my colleagues was very happy to invite me to lunch and also brought me to restaurants around the company to get me familiarised with the local environment. It was also very easy to invite my colleagues for a coffee and have a chat with them casually. In terms of summer interns, we met up around once a week for drinks afterwork and catch-up with each other. They were all very willing to share their experiences with me.

It’s London! Expensive but it is a great city that you cannot find elsewhere. I absolutely enjoyed living in the city. I lived in central London, just a few stops away from where I worked. Tube to work typically took around 35min. Living in central London was more expensive compared to living elsewhere and other cities in the UK. However, London is fantastic and there are a lot of things to do after work. I enjoyed going to theatres and parks and there are also many great restaurants around. There are many ways to save money indeed. For example, there are plenty of student discounts available in shops etc. I totally enjoyed the cultural life in London and made friends from all over the world. Therefore, although it costs a bit more living in London, I think it’s worthwhile if people make the most out of this place.

There is a market right across the company building and there are many bars and restaurants around the area. As it is right in the middle of central London, there are a lot of good food and could be quite crowded in the evening when everyone comes out for a drink afterwork. It is a fantastic area where all I needed were right around the corner. It is also very easy to go to other areas such as Piccadilly Circus and Soho etc. London Bridge and Borough Market are only 15 minutes’ walk away. There are a lot of ways to relax and enjoy while maintain a work-life balance.

The work-life balance culture at Aon is superb! I was free on most of the evenings and had plenty of opportunities to do different things. I typically met up with friends or other interns in the evening. I was also invited to the social events organised by the team. My weekends were also completely free. I went on day trips outside London on weekends and was also able to do lots of sports and enjoy the summer! There are also celebratory drinks and lunches organised by the team regularly and I was honoured to be invited to go to some of those. Those were great opportunities to know more about my colleagues while having fun!