Actuarial Pensions Consultant Review

I loved my 9 week internship and it was a very good insight into the pensions industry and the work of junior actuaries. I thought the programme was well thought out, the people were lovely and the social life is amazing. The office in general has a positive vibe with many helpful and friendly faces. I was constantly in contact with my manager and my work "buddy" who was able to help me through the daily work. I would recommend this to anyone, the office was fantastic, it was spacious, the work was fun, interesting and explained really well. There's a great internal training programme which trains employees online, via excel, and via graduate held trainings. The weekly lunch and learn sessions were very informing and a good way to learn about different branches of the business. It's really simple to meet up with anyone for coffee and learn about everyone's roles in the company. This internship is great for anyone who is ready to learn and experience the actuarial world of work. You are never left waiting around and sitting around without work, you're always working and kept busy and constantly learning. The learning was the best thing about it, and I'm definitely looking forward to coming back for the graduate role.

I felt very valued by all of my colleagues, there were one on one introductions with each person across the retirement floors. Everyone was friendly, and everyone was wanting to know you and involve you in things. My colleagues gave me real work and not the small intern jobs you would expect to get on an internship. I was doing work a graduate would be doing, because I was valued and trusted to have all that responsibility. The whole time I was there, I was never waiting for the weekend and I really enjoyed it being trusted to carry out important work like that.

I was given unlimited support, I never felt like I couldn't ask questions and never felt like I was left without support. I was always receiving help and guidance and my manager was willing to collect feedback on my work and always help me meet the goals we had set together. There was always someone who knew what they were doing around me, so I could ask literally anyone for some help on a task I'd been given and I would receive help very quickly with a friendly face. People weren't worried about taking time out of their work day to help with my struggles and to teach my things I didn't know about the business and career path.

I was constantly busy, in a good way of course! I was able to learn about the business, work on the tasks given to me. I had time for lunch, to meet people in other areas of the business and complete my work. The workload was the perfect amount for me and I was never overworking or finding myself sitting at my desk trying to find work to do. This is a difficult scheme to keep individuals working at the right amount without tiring themselves out, having to work at home, or being bored in the office because they having nothing to do. I could approach anyone for work and explain that I'd like to do some more work in certain areas. You aren't just working for the company, the company is aiming to cater for you too.

I was given a lot of responsibility working on the clients, the opportunity to get involved on many accounting projects, working on calculations, calculating retirement quotes, transfer values, trivial commutations, and pension benefits for many individuals. This was very nice to know that I was being trusted and given a lot of responsibility. I was responsible for managing all queries for a particular client, a big task to give an intern, but the fact that the company believed in me was great, as it also gave me the self belief and self worth, helping me believe that I could do it myself too. The fact that I wasn't given the small responsibilities you would expect to be given to interns made me feel valued and important.

This was an internship which developed my work skills and gave me an exposure to working in a professional environment and working with clients. This has helped direct my vision to a specific career path and I will definitely have some powerful transferrable skills to take back to university to apply to my future studies. I am glad that I was able to pick up so many skills which I can even use to succeed in my final year at uni, and support my peers. My insights into business and the different streams in the business is something I can most definitely use to guide my peers in making important decisions regarding their career options and their chosen education paths.

There was a relaxed atmosphere in the office with the general vibe being very social. The normal vibe around the office is very positive with everyone in a good mood and willing to help anyone out without any snide comments/bad comments/vibes. It was a productive atmosphere with a professional attitude, people getting work done whilst still enjoying themselves and actually wanting to come to work because they are proud of their work and actually have fun there.

The programme was very well organised with regular meetings and catchups with managers and more senior colleagues. There were weekly lunch and learn sessions with very informative sessions to teach new comers about the business and what there is to learn. The feedback techniques within the business are designed to help you strive to succeed and feel like you've come out of the internship having learnt something and done something productive with your summer.

The company really invests their time in interns and placement and doesn't shy away from people who are looking to start off their early careers with Aon. They are willing to help us grow and allow us to develop the skills we came to Aon to develop. We were trained throughout the experience and so it was an aspect of the internship I very much enjoyed.

There are massive opportunities to progress within Aon as there are specific ranks and chances to grow within every aspect of the company. Wherever you want the chance to grow, something within the massive business is able to offer you that opportunity. The range of employees and the skills amongst you is great as it means there's always things to learn all the time.

There was a massive chance to have fun after work and attend socials such as the amazing summer party with an open bar and trips to watch the world cup over the summer! It was also a great way to network with people in the business in a more relaxed setting and a really good chance to bond with my colleagues more.

The cost of living in the centre of London is quite expensive and you don't always get the quality of what you pay for. The socialising is also quite expensive but it's nothing you wouldn't expect of such a massive city like London. It still doesn't mean I won't go out to bars and restaurants with my colleagues!

The nightlife in Shoreditch was quite good, it was very lively and again, it was a really good chance to meet new people across the business and bond with them over a more fun and relaxed setting. It was really entertaining going out on Fridays and actually relaxing after a week of long hard work.

There are always sporting activities going on, including the Aon Fives tournament where there is the chance to take part in Football and Netball tournaments with colleagues from all around the country. It is again, another really good chance to get involved and meet people from different offices around the UK.