Insurance Broking Intern Review

I have gained invaluable experience from working with the International Directors and Officers Insurance Broking Team and felt incredibly welcome from the start. It has been thoroughly enjoyable to work in a professional environment that has such a social aspect to it. It has enabled me to develop key attributes needed to work in the corporate world, such as interpersonal skills and teamwork.

I have felt very valued by my colleagues as I have always been listened to whenever I have had an idea or a suggestion. I have felt particularly welcomed because I was introduced into different team projects and my contribution was appreciated. It has been great to work collaboratively as it has made me feel like a valued member of the team.

The support structure of a connector and manager is excellent. There are weekly / fortnightly 1:1 meetings to track your progress and receive feedback on your performance, which enables you to work better week after week. Because of this support system I have had plenty of opportunities to ask questions whenever I needed help. The team were so kind, so I felt like I could ask anyone for help, therefore there was guidance whenever I needed it.

Since the first day I was given tasks frequently and was introduced onto projects that would be carried out over several weeks. There is also a Social Impact Project with other interns that I had been working on for a few hours a week. Subsequently, I have almost always been busy and have only had to ask for extra work to do on a couple of occasions.

I feel that I was given a good amount of responsibility which is positively reflected in the development of my skills set. I was given particular jobs to do on my own within team projects which were an important part of the project as a whole. Because of this I have certainly felt responsible for my own work. It has made me feel as though I have actively contributed to the team.

I have developed my skills set greatly throughout this experience. Due to working on multiple projects at once I have been able to develop my time management and multitasking skills. This will certainly help when I go back to University and once I start work in the corporate world. Throughout this internship I have worked with a lot of data which has enabled me to develop my ability to analyse and understand data and display data in the most precise and suitable way, which will help me in the world of work.

The broking world is incredibly sociable, and my office was lively on most days, some were quieter than others. There was a general positive moral and all colleagues on my team and the team around me made an effort to introduce themselves almost immediately after I started. Overall it was a very happy environment to work in.

The inductions days were very well planned, and I was constantly informed by the Early Careers Team about the times and locations of events in the induction and throughout the internship. The internship itself was very well organised, the connector and manager system worked well. It was my managers and I responsibility to ensure we meet up regularly and it was very easy to contact each other to arrange these meetings.

There was a great deal of training both online and in person. The third day of the induction was a full day of training about Insurance, Reinsurance and Broking that gave me a clear understanding of these aspects of the business. There were online activities both optional and mandatory to do during the internship, along with Lunch and Learns, which helped broaden my knowledge of the Insurance Broking industry.

The graduate scheme is very appealing. It is a programme in which you spend 6 months in 3 different parts of the business. These rotations enable you to learn about different areas of the business and socialise with different groups of people, broadening your network. The scheme also financially compensates for further educational opportunities so you can gain qualifications particular to the Insurance Broking industry.

The first two induction days in the internship are essentially icebreakers where I met and socialised with all of the interns on the internship scheme; even those based in different offices. Throughout the internship I did a Social Impact Project with other interns which enabled me to get to know some of them more and develop friendships. Overall, the industry seemed very sociable.

I was based in the London office so the cost of living such as shops, restaurants and travel was quite expensive, but that is to be expected. The cafe in the Aon building was cheaper than going out to eat and there was free coffee. Socialising was also quite expensive.

The nightlife around the London office was great. There were plenty of nice restaurants and bars to choose from, so there definitely was not a lack of choice. The transport links were great so if you wanted to go out in another part of London you could, but there was plenty within walking distance of the office. The only negative thing is that it is expensive.

There were not that many activities that I was introduced to outside of work, I was informed that you can take classes, such as learning a language, whilst at work which is interesting. The social opportunities are good the industry is quite sociable and there are plenty of places around to go to.