Intern Retirement Actuarial Analyst Review

Included different tasks to perform every day, sometimes performing monthly updates on bespoke software for tracking assets and liabilities and sometimes running individual calculations to calculate a members pension at a requested date based off of the information they have provided. There is a wide range of work covering all aspects of the retirement branch. Had lots of interactions internally but only external interaction was preparing draft emails or letters, had exposure to clients but did not meet any trustees. Learnt about but didn't do much project work.

I have learnt many new skills as the internship has provided me the opportunity to experience working in an office for the first time. My teamwork and communication skills have developed greatly as the encouragement to be in the office as opposed to at home provides a lot of interactions that you otherwise would not have. My technical knowledge has also progressed massively and I feel the training is effective. My ability to network has also grown during the past two months.

I felt I did have responsibility and also the need to be accountable for my work. There is no pressure however in the sense that all colleagues were very helpful and would happily give me advice or help with any piece of work I was doing, regardless of if they were familiar with it before. There were no instances where I felt I had too big of a job to do as all work performed is checked by several people, this helps take the pressure off.

The colleagues I was working alongside were extremely helpful and welcoming. I was assigned a buddy who would answer any question I had at short notice. My intern manager was also very supportive, providing me with every opportunity to flag anything to her if I had any concerns about a piece of work or co-worker, and was also more than happy to answer any questions. I felt my colleagues were especially supportive when I did get small bits of work wrong and they took time out to explain to me not only the correct way to perform the task but also why it was done this way.

The company culture was very welcoming and positive. There were no instances where I felt the managers were too strict or being unfair and they actually welcomed and encouraged conversation. There were a small number of fun social events also, with all of the office being included and taking part. There were also no signs of overworking and for graduates and more senior colleagues as hours worked seemed reasonable. There is generally a good mood around the office.

I very much enjoyed the eight weeks that I spent in my internship at WTW, it gave me my first experience of the actuarial profession and those at the firm make the internship programme a very safe, enjoyable and informative summer. I don't think the colleagues could have been better. An even wider variety of work would improve my experience even more, as for having a constant workflow however this is very difficult to achieve given the nature of the deadlines that are worked towards.

Yes

Do it. In the interview you should show off your technical knowledge and you should have done some research about the current state of your chosen sector as well as doing extensive background knowledge of the company itself. Come to interviews prepared with questions about your desired line of work and be honest in what you do and don't know. Most importantly be a team player and be willing to learn new information all the time.