Actuarial Associate Review

I loved this placement and am really looking forward to having the opportunity of coming back for my second placement. I have learnt so much more than I ever thought I could about the work of an actuary and the wider areas of general insurance and life insurance. Although University prepares you for the work, there are aspects which you can only really learn while working on the job.

I felt as though as I was treated as one of the full time employees and not as someone who was still at University. I was never made to feel inferior to anyone and always felt I could approach any of the people I was working with on a project.

There is so much support given to you in terms of the work you are doing and also the social aspect of building relationships within the team. You are given support throughout the project but as you progress and become more confident, the level of guidance is relaxed and you have a chance to really make the work your own.

At the start of the placement, it was busy season and so there was constant work to do every day but it was so interesting that it never felt like it was too much. There were points nearer the end of the placement where there was less work to do and this can sometimes be a bit boring but it never lasted for too long.

From the start of the placement, a lot is expected from you and you are treated as though you are a graduate. This is really good as it pushes you but at the same time, your work is always reviewed by multiple people and there are always people that you can ask for help and will explain it to you.

The skills I have learnt are so useful as it puts the theory I have learnt at University into practice and enables me to relate the theory to real life situations. I think going back to University, I will be more motivated now that I have seen the end result of my University degree.

The office is always really lively with people coming and going and always someone to speak to. The open plan layout makes it feel like one big team and being able to sit with people who are at different levels from you makes it easier to build relationships and gain new skills and insight.

There was a lot of time spent on personal development. This included, the original placement training given in the very first week and elearns given throughout the placement on relevant areas. There are also online training modules that can be undertaken in your own time when it is quieter on areas that you would like to gain a better understanding of.

The cost of living is higher than what I am used to but that is to be expected living in London and not something that can be controlled by the company. Socialising was not overly expensive as it was usually organised by the junior members of the team who were aware of not making things too expensive.

There are plenty of places to go for nightlife in London from pubs for casual drinks to clubs for nights out. The variety of club nights and themes is ever increasing with so many diverse options and there are a lot of pop up events that are well advertised and very popular.