Corporate Risk and Broking Summer Intern Review

I had a great time working at Willis Towers Watson over the last two months. I had the opportunity to work within the Global Renewable Energy team and undertook a huge variety of work encompassing many different aspects of insurance broking.

Everyone within the firm made themselves very approachable and easy to talk to. I was immediately assigned a graduate buddy as well as a buddy within the team who helped get me up to speed with the insurance industry very quickly. Networking was surprisingly easy with many senior executives taking the time to meet me after emailing them, helping me learn about all sides of the business.

I was given a strong support network and was happy to ask for help whenever I was unsure how to do something. Very little knowledge of the insurance industry was required before joining, and I was given a wealth of materials to read to help me get up to speed with the job.

There was always something to be done and if I ever started to run out of work all I had to do was ask for something more to do. I never felt bored but also didn't have to stay too late to finish all of my work on any particular day.

I was given a good level of responsibility after spending the first week learning and ensuring that I knew about the industry. This included liaising with almost 30 global offices and creating plans for the future of the renewable energy team.

This was my first experience of a business environment and I believe that working at Willis Towers Watson has given me a strong foundation for my future career.

The atmosphere in the office was very enjoyable with the team working hard but also regularly having fun. Everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy the work they were doing and would choose to stay late to help clients, but there was never any pressure to stay late if you didn't want to. The team often socialised after work and this contributed to a very positive working environment

The internship was well organised with regular 'speaker series' talks from senior members of the company, helping us learn about the business. My manager and team buddy had a plan for things I could get involved in before I arrived but also gave me the flexibility to prioritise what I wanted to do.

The company provided many opportunities for us to learn and invested a significant amount of to help us understand the broking industry. We had full access to the Willis Towers Watson training modules and my team organised learning sessions for me to gain renewable energy specific insights.

Over the last two months I have been able to identify many different opportunities within the business that I would like to take advantage of. The firm offers a huge range of services to clients so there is a huge variety of roles available to suit many different skillsets, from analytical data-driven work to more sales-based work.

I enjoyed spending time with the other interns and we often socialised during lunch or after work.

The Willis building is located near Monument station in London so is in a very expensive area, with even the cheapest pubs in Leadenhall market costing significantly more than those at uni. However, when going out with the team or on events organised by HR we often wouldn't have to pay for food/drink which made this easier to deal with.

The office is located fairly centrally in London so the nightlife in the area was great.

There was a decent range of activities organised by my team and HR, with a particularly enjoyable volunteering afternoon that involved us leaving the office at 2 to walk around London and visit landmarks in order to raise money for charity.