Insurance Student Summer Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed working at BW and feel that BW made a real effort to ensure we always had something to do. They also ensured that we gained an insight into the firm as a whole, not just our practice area, and were there to offer help and advice whenever we needed it.

My colleagues were very eager to get us involved in the team and seemed to really value the work we did for them. Also, they were willing to spend time fully explaining the context of the task or the background behind a client to ensure we knew how the work they required from us fitted into the bigger picture.

My mentor was unbelievably helpful and encouraged questions all the time even if that meant sacrificing her own work or having to stay later. She struck the right balance between guiding me but also letting me try and work things out for myself before querying them with her. She was very good at giving continual feedback.

Towards the beginning this was not the case but this was expected due to our limited expertise. However, as the internship went on and I got fully involved in projects, I became increasingly busy and my to-do list kept on getting longer. If I did find myself at a loose end, my colleagues would seek to find me work.

On certain projects, I was given quite a lot of responsibility with being left to work on tasks myself and do my own self-checks to ensure what I was doing was correct. I was also expected to report back any issues I found or anything that I wished to query.

Having studied law at university and having completed my full four years prior to starting the internship, it is not possible for the skills I've developed to help with my degree. However, there is no doubt that it will help with future jobs I have whether in actuary or not.

The general atmosphere in the office was very friendly and welcoming. My colleagues were keen to get us fully involved in the team, taking us out for lunches and wanting to get to know us as people rather than just work with us. We also had to organise socials for our team as a bonding experience.

BW put on a range of training sessions, not just from insurance giving us more specialised training, but also from other practice areas so that we got to learn about the firm as a whole and have that other exposure. My mentor put a lot of time into helping me saying that it was an investment.

Future employment prospects at BW are very appealing, especially starting as student. BW gives an allowance of study days to students regularly and support with exams and tutorials etc. Within the firm, you can also see that career progression is possible, working from a new grad and eventually reaching associate level.

Obviously, living and socialising in London is always going to be expensive. Luckily, I didn't have to pay for accommodation as I stayed with a friend but this would have been a massive burden otherwise. Whenever we had work socials, colleagues would ensure that we weren't paying for our drinks, knowing the struggles of being a student.