Summer Investment Intern Review

Given the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, it was impressive that Hymans Robertson honoured their internship offers at all! The program was adapted to a virtual experience and still managed to be incredibly varied and rewarding. Extra emphasis was placed on the importance of work-social events and the team made a greater effort to get to know interns, pick up the phone, and offer support. The work I completed was varied and exciting, particularly the independent projects I was assigned and the client teams I was able to support.

I was offered frequent feedback, both positive and constructive, which allowed me to track my own improvements throughout the course of the internship. The more work I did for my colleagues, the more different tasks they trusted me with which made me feel incredibly valued. I was able to join client calls and give my own opinions on projects. I felt like my views were being taken into consideration and like I was genuinely contributing to the team.

I was assigned a People Manager who oversaw my progress throughout the internship and monitored my development. They assisted me with the preparation for my final presentation and offered advice. I was also assigned two buddies who were current graduate analysts. They were available to answer my day-to-day questions and also helped to involve me with client work. Having two buddies was incredibly helpful as there was almost always one available to take my calls/answer my questions.

My workload at the beginning of the internship was fairly low as most of my time was spent in training sessions or reading up on different aspects of the investment sector. As time progressed I became gradually busier and the more work I completed the more work I was trusted with. Towards the end of the internship I was spending most of my time on independent projects and managing my own time, however I still felt comfortable taking on additional client work and didn't feel overwhelmed.

I was given a reasonable amount of responsibility, including an independent project which I needed to organise and work on throughout the duration of my internship. This gave me the opportunity to experiment and present what I wanted to my colleagues. I was also given increasingly technical client tasks which gave me a good insight into what graduate investment analysts do. I was also given checking tasks which required me to pay close attention to detail and be confident in what I was submitting.

I built a number of skills unique to the investment/finance industry which I am confident will assist me as I pursue a career in this field. I also developed my Excel and data analysis skills considerably which will be of great use to me during my upcoming Masters studies. I also improved softer skills such as time management and communication which I know will benefit me regardless of what career path I take following the internship.

Whilst the "office" was virtual, Hymans Robertson made every effort to ensure the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. I attended weekly huddles with games and quizzes as well as after work social events. We were told at the start to pick up the phone for problems and speak via video-call as we would face to face if we were in the office. This helped to build working relationships with colleagues despite not meeting them in person.

The internship had been adapted to a virtual program with very short notice and therefore given the circumstances was very well organised. I was sent a company laptop in the post prior to the internship starting, my calendar was pre-filled with training sessions which made my first week run much more smoothly. I knew from very early on who to contact with different issues and where to reach out for help. I was contacted regularly by my buddies to monitor my progress and ensure I was happy with my workload.

During the first few weeks I spent most of my time in skills training sessions building my understanding of the sector and learning how to perform the necessary data analysis to begin taking on client work. Beyond this I was also invited to all team-wide training sessions which were run by external speakers. These sessions gave me the opportunity to learn alongside my colleagues and apply my early training to current issues facing the sector.

Whilst it was unfortunate that the interns did not get to meet in person, we were introduced before the start date with a virtual pizza night where takeaway vouchers were provided. We kept up a weekly catch up on a Friday after work where we discussed what we'd been up to during the week. The socials run by the team were less frequent but very well organised, games were fun and required everyone to get involved and get to know one another.

I was already paying rent in London over the summer due to renting privately close to my university. Living in London isn't cheap however the salary during my internship was more than enough to live on and to cover my costs. This was potentially affected by Covid-19 and so my travel/social expenses were lower than I would expect them to be normally. Under normal circumstances I would say that living in London compared to anywhere else is more expensive.