Claims Summer Intern Review

The internship was great and there were plenty of leisure activities to get involved with.

Colleagues througout the business valued my help and my work. It seemed as though everyone was genuinely interested in the intern's personal development and opportunities.

We had a line manager who would support and guide us the closest but there were also several other colleagues who I felt able to ask for help. The support and guidance was always there if I needed it.

I always had something to get on with, the work consisted of large projects spanning the whole 9 weeks, mixed in with smaller projects and other tasks that may take just a few hours. This varied work required me to organise time effectively and manage many pieces of work at once.

A lot. Every project was given with a brief and I was adviced where the project is likely to lead or what is expected of me. But it was very much free-reign work and I was left to do it how I thought appropriate. If I needed advice or help then there were many people I could ask. It was a great balance between independance and support.

100% an excellent way to spend part of my summer. The skills I have aquired and improved here are very distinguishable and will undoubtably be very useful in my future life/career. Furthermore, the achievements and tangible outcomes generated from this internship are exactly what other employers are looking for to prove your own competancies and skills.

The atmosphere was friendly and in no way intimidating or dull. At times the office was quiet and everyone had their heads down working hard, but that is to be expected in a successful department. At other times, people were chatting and interacting just as normal people would!

The organisation of the internship cannot be faulted. Myself and other interns were all very impressed with the application process, we were given feedback after each stage and told the outcome of stages immediately. We found the staff in the hiring process very friendly and the assessment centre was just about the least intimidating environment you could hope for. Comparing this process to that of other companies that I applied for, Allianz was undoubtably the best. Others were poor, distant and gave no feedback at all. One company outsourced their application process abroad, which I felt extremely impersonal.

Graduates get a lot of support to achieve qualifications and develop. As interns however we do not have enough time to take any formal qualifications or partake in any specific training. The company invested a lot of time, money and care into us interns and gave us many opportunities to develop. They were even keen to get me around other parts of the business to get as much exposure as I wanted. This was key, the whole time I thought as though everyone in the business genuinely had my best interests at heart and were always key to give me opportunities to develop.

As an intern you are in the best possible position to apply for graduate schemes. No one is simply given a place without effort. We are expected to express interest in a scheme and we are given the opportunity to apply early and skip parts of the process, for example the assessment centre.

Yes. There were 12 interns in my office and numerous graduates and other staff of a similar age. Socialising happened in many forms more than weekly. This is very important when you move for a summer placement to an unfamiliar location.

The cost of living here is high. Rents are typically around £500 a month. Public transport in Guildford is sparse and expensive. Taxis are expensive, over twice the price as back home for me. Socialising at night is expensive too here down south, a pint is usually at least £3.50. Trains into London however are very frequent, quick and affordable.

It was there.

There were activities outside work. Socialising and other events.