Retirement Intern Review

I've gotten involved in different types of work, didn't find myself doing the same thing for too long - which was nice since the routine work can become quite boring. The Weekly team meetings made it easy for me to say I have capacity and to be assigned work from different colleagues.

Everyone was very happy to explain the different tasks to me. I wasn't scared to ask questions as everyone in the office was very welcoming and happy to answer any questions I may have about the work. Also, me and the other interns would almost always have lunch with the new graduates there, which made it easier to get to know the office.

Every task I had to solve was explained to me thoroughly when allocated. People would come over at my desk and explain to me the actual actions I need to carry out, as well as the intuition behind those actions - this made it easier to grasp concepts and become more independent in my work.

I could say I never stayed bored at the internship, there was always something else going on with a different client that people would get me involved in. Even if I had a lot of work, people would try to ensure that I would be able to leave at 5 or continue the work the next day so I could go home in time.

Because of audit purposes, I was mostly the designated 'doer' in most cases - I did get the chance to review the work of other people, which was quite nice to have to do since this is what happens as you progress in your career. We did have to organize a social which we were completely responsible for.

I have learnt a lot about Excel, which will help me a lot since I plan to have a career in Financial services. Also, I got to work on my presenting skills, which will definitely will help me both during my Masters and future career. In addition, I have developed a lot of industry specific knowledge and accounting knowledge which I believe will help me in my career.

I guess it was the right balance. There were some really lively people that would make jokes and make the atmosphere more relaxed, but everyone managed to concentrate and do work in a timely manner. The fact that there were no 'proper' offices for more senior people really made it easier to get to know people.

The set up was quite well organised - we were told from the start that we would have to deliver a presentation and the title of it and we also knew we would be evaluated twice during the internship. At the induction day we got a lot of information about the internship which helped and at the end we also received a phone call from one of the HR team members who let us know what the next steps after the internship are.

The first week at the internship we received a lot of training - we must have had about 7-8 training sessions and each time we had two people from the company explain things to us, which made is easier to understand, since different people may explain things in different ways. I was also able to assist client calls which was good for my development and the person who gave me the opportunity always sat down with me after and answered any questions I had about the calls.

They are very good with the study packages they provide for the actuarial exams and also give you incentives to pass those by linking your passes to pay rises. The company is international, which is a particular important aspect for me since I think I would like to relocate in Continental Europe. They pay is also quite good and there are a lot of projects to be involved in, which are aspects I really value.

There would almost always be Friday drinks organised and there were a couple of socials organized by the company during the internship, such as the summer social where we went shuffle boarding and also the Exam drinks. The other interns were also quite nice, which made it easy to make friends.

I did my internship in London, so the cost of living was quite high, however the company did offer accommodation with some colleagues at very good prices for London (about £130 per week). I think the company also reserved some places in University halls, which would be cheaper than renting a normal flat. In terms of socialising, when we went out with the colleagues, everyone bought us drinks.

I didn't go out.

There was a weekly football match where everyone was welcome to join. I know there is also a mixed Netball team and people sometimes play cricket as well. There was also a monthly board games night which I really enjoyed. And in general, people would always be happy to go for a coffee in order to get to know eachother or to go for after work drinks.