This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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About You
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The Company
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Everything Else
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
- 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
- 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 5. How well structured was the insight?
- 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
- 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
- 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
- 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
- 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
- 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
- 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
- 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
- 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
About You
Very much enjoyed my vacation scheme placement with KPMG. I was involved in many work socials, and invited to events put on by SIAS, which allowed me to further network with other interns and recent graduates. The work provided had good variety, but I imagine this also depends on what work is in the office at the time.
From the induction day, I felt as if I was a valued member of the team. This was reinforced by my own research into the aims of the vacation scheme, which outlines that KPMG try hard to keep their vacation students and retain them for next years graduate intake. we were also treated to numerous social events on expenses.
I received a weekly scheduled meeting with my line manager, and was also assigned a performance leader to check over my performance and to see how I was doing and how I would fit into the team on a larger level. I was given a work 'passport' to fill out, outlining what KPMG expected me to learn / do over my 4 weeks.
I received a good background to the Pensions sector, with multiple people taking time out to train me in various background topics, which weren't necessarily related to any specific work. The experience I gained on this placement will help me to secure an actuarial role in the future, and I'd recommend it as a way to get into the profession.
The Company
The vacation scheme was very well structured, from application to finishing. I attended an induction day in the Birmingham office with all the other interns, in which we picked up our company laptops, bags etc. I was scored according to a passport, which recorded my progress with respect to a range of objectives set by KPMG regarding my personal growth.
I very much enjoyed working with the Pensions team, as there was a good mix of younger and older people working with me, which allowed me to ask questions of more senior members of staff when I had to. I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the office, which was very friendly. There was also free lunch every day, which was very nice.
I attended numerous training events, both informal and formally booked. Overall I felt as if a good amount of time was invested in me, and this helped me to make the most of my time at the company. I also understand that on graduation, the company further invests in you to become a qualified actuary.
I felt from day 1 that I was getting involved with meaningful work, that was billable to a client. This gave me better insight as to how I would fit into the team upon graduation. I was also given the chance to visit another office to meet the team there and get involved with their work too.
When we were inducted, we did loads of exercises about the companies values etc. This was a good help to remember what they were going forwards, but you are already expected to know and make use of these to be successful in the application process. I also did e-learning on the company's culture.
The work I got involved with was the very basics of what I would be doing as a graduate. I was given billable work which very much gave me an insight into what an actuary does, and why. I was also given a chance to give a presentation to my team illustrating my learning from the placement.
Everything Else
I was paid well and reimbursed all expenses incurred while working for the company. This included trips to other offices, and a social meal with other interns. I was impressed with the expense system, which was very quick to reimburse me when I paid out of pocket for things like train tickets.
Details
Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)
Actuary, Business Operations
London
August 2018