Actuarial Internship Review
by Mercer
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.1
-
The Company
4.4
-
The Culture
3.9
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I thoroughly enjoyed the placement. It was different to other summer work I had done, but was interesting and challenging.
My colleagues were wonderful, very friendly, supplied me with any work they thought would be suitable and were very approachable if I had any questions
If I had any questions, I would not hesitate to ask. The responses were always considerate, well-explained and informative.
Though some days were slow and I had little work to do, there was always another on-going project (in this case an intern presentation) to work on. Other days I was kept very busy with numerous deadlines and tasks, which only increased my enjoyment of the work
Though little to start off with, understandably, as my knowledge and understanding increased, the workload and difficulty of tasks did too. It was a great balance.
I learned various actuarial skills which I will be invaluable if I choose to continue this career path, also how to work to deadlines, deal with pressure and many tasks at once. The value of communication and how to deal with colleagues. A solid grounding of knowledge of pension schemes is also important and interesting.
The Company
Though everyone was involved with their own work, there was always some good chat within the team, and coffee breaks to relieve pressure and banter.
It was fantastic. I had a 'buddy' to whom was my first port of call for any work or help, my own desk and intern project. There was a good stream of communication from the HR team to ensure all was well.
Between trains down to London for interviews and induction days, and then the high standards of training and time invested in me throughout the 8 weeks - it was incredible.
There are Graduate placements in the firm which having this internship will hopefully benefit me. I am certainly applying for such a placement.
The Culture
The team arranged regular drinks and dinners, maybe one every fortnight. And there were post-exam celebrations I was invited to - it was a friendly environment.
Manchester is a cheap city in comparison to St. Andrews. Depending on what type of restaurant/bar/cafe/cinema you wished, there were a variety of differently priced options.
The city is renowned for it's nightlife, and catered for all needs.
As long as you showed some initiative, there were indeed opportunities - the same as anywhere. I joined the swimming pool.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Actuary, Audit
North East
August 2012
