Insurance Intern Review

I very much enjoyed my internship, based in Canary Wharf in London. The work was adequately challenging but it wasn’t too much that I was stressed about it, and having a GradCoach, line manager and an on-programme manager, as well as other interns and a good team of peopl surrounding me, helped me to really enjoy my time.

My colleagues ensured that I got involved in as much as I possibly could, whether that was in helping them with work or through inviting me for social events outside of that. By completing work that had a tangible impact on the bank, I felt as though I made a valuable contribution that was appreciated by my colleagues.

The support, guidance and encouragement provided to me through this internship was brilliant. Everyone was very approachable, and I had several managers and mentors involved in different parts of the business who I could ask about my progress, ask for some feedback and share any grievances with. These included my GradCoach, line manager and on-programme manager.

Due to the nature of the work and the short time deadlines for what I was completing, some days were very busy with barely a minute free, while others I had little to do as was waiting for other colleagues to finish their own work before my tasks became available.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility in that I was working under very tight time deadlines which, if not adhered to, would delay the work process for many other colleagues. This pressure ensured that I was able to complete work to a high standard in the given deadlines.

The skills I gained through this internship are quite applicable to my degree, but more so in the way of accentuating my interest in the business environment. It has allowed for me to learn more specifically about global goings on in banking which, due to the nature of my degree, will assist in my development for this year.

It was quite a fun office - while everyone usually worked quite hard, it was informal enough that you could chat to anyone for a while if they were free, and go for drinks after work quite regularly. Colleagues always brought cakes, donuts and the likes into the office for everyone to enjoy.

The structure of the internship, with intern events, business events and work in the office itself was very well structured. The team organising the internships learnt from their own experiences and planned it very well at an overall level. This structure lessened a bit during the actual work when the intern team stepped back, but this didn’t really decrease how well it was organised, just that it was more free-flowing.

The company invests a huge amount of time and other resources into us, such as by hosting numerous intern events, mindfulness days, and mandatory learning courses which all aid our personal and professional development. This was helped by the willingness of colleagues to offer their own time and advice to assist my learning.

Future prospects with the company are very enticing as they offer a very highly regarded and well structured graduate scheme with very competitive job prospects, pay and benefits. The culture of the organisation as well as the work undertaken makes a job with this company very appealing and something I would very much look forward to.

All of the interns got along very well, with social events organised at both an intern level and an individual level almost weekly. As several interns will almost always work in the same office or building, it is common to go for lunch or drinks with the other interns, so socially it was brilliant.

Very expensive, but this was to be expected in London, especially in Canary Wharf. House prices are very high if you need to rent, and drink prices are quite high too, however the company does offer a very attractive territorial allowance on the internship for London based interns to partially help with covering this cost.

It was brilliant, I moved between near Camden and Chiswick during my stay, and worked in Canary Wharf, so there was always lots to do during the night. Loads of really good bars in Canary Wharf, and the tube allows for easy travel to pretty much anywhere central if you want to continue the party elsewhere.