Summer Actuarial Intern - Pensions Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at PwC. The company clearly spent a lot of time and effort into setting up the internship and this was well received. I feel like a got a really in-depth insight into the work Company is involved in and further to this what it would be like to be an employee.

Initially I didn’t feel like I was being of that much use but after a little while I was trusted with work and it was great to receive feedback on real work. Further to this, I was told at the end of my placement that I had added value to the team and that my work had been useful which was satisfying to hear.

The initial induction and training were really good. The first week did include some training that wasn’t complete relevant to my role but it was interesting to get a wider knowledge base. During my first few weeks I received very in depth training sessions from junior members of the teams. I did think in the first week or so in the office that I could have been utilised a little more.

This did fluctuate quite a lot which was understandable. I think initially I was a little quite due to being new to the team and the role. After people had trusted me with work and became comfortable with me, I became involved in a large array of work projects which made my time very interesting and also made the days pass by quickly!

Again this did develop with time. Initially whilst I was finding my feet the work was rather basic and done under partial supervision. But as the time passed, I was given more responsibility and also came to a position where I delegated work to an intern which made me feel proud in what I was doing.

I guess for me, the technical skills I’ve learnt won’t necessarily transfer to my degree but I have a real sense of motivation to succeed in my final year. Further to this, the soft skills I developed such as time management and communication skills will be highly useful going back to University.

I think the general vibe in the office was really good. The team were friendly and able to socialise whilst also remaining on task and getting high quality work done. My colleagues made me feel comfortable and I never felt embarrassed to ask questions or get help when I wasn’t sure.

I think the induction and initial training were very well thought out. It gave me as an intern a great platform to engage with both other interns and also junior members of staff. The only thing I would say is that it would have been good to see more sessions relevant to my role in that first week.

I think the time spent by those members of staff involved in the induction, leading the tutorials and those involved in giving WebEx’s on various modules specific to my role really demonstrated how much the Company valued interns and from this I got a real sense of belonging with the Company.

I’m really glad that members of the team were so open to speak about their own development with the Company compared to previous firms that they may have worked at. This allowed me to get a real sense of how my own career could pan out with the Company. I think it is made clear to us, even as interns, the huge number of opportunities that are available.