This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 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 my actuarial internship at the Edinburgh office of Punter Southall. This was down to the welcoming work colleagues, comfortable working hours and stimulating tasks I was required to complete.
I was delighted with how much responsibility I was given by colleagues and I believe this was down to how much they valued my help. I felt as though I was trusted to complete the work to a high standard.
Whenever I had a question, all I had to do was ask. Although at times I felt as though I was being a bit of a pain repeatedly asking questions, the team never demeaned me but instead were always willing to offer support and guidance.
As the internship progressed I found myself becoming increasingly busy as my workload built up. However, at the beginning work was a little slow and I found myself searching for jobs. Nevertheless, I think it is important to accept this as part and parcel of any internship to begin with.
Naturally, as I became more confident with chargeable work I was given more responsibility with such tasks. By the final weeks of my internship I was taking on jobs without having to be informed of what I was able to manage and felt as though I was making a great deal of progress.
As a student of mathematics, I found the numerical work fairly standard due to the courses I have covered within my degree work. What was slightly more challenging was getting to grips with the legislation involved, and also the economical side to which I was initially unfamiliar. I think these skills shall certainly prove to be valuable in my future career.
The Company
I found everyone in the office to be exceptionally hard working, and thus there was little time for chat while people concentrated on their work. However, in the brief spells when the workload was lighter it was always easy to strike up conversation. There were a number of particularly upbeat characters and everyone had a similar sense of humour which always helps.
Although there wasn't necessarily a great deal of structure around myself, I was made to feel part of the team, which I feel actually proved more beneficial than if I had been singled out as the 'intern'. Instead I was made to feel involved with the actuarial team and given the chance to show initiative as opposed to being instructed all of the time.
Whenever I was unfamiliar with any aspect of the work, one of the trainee actuaries would sit down with me for half an hour or so and explain the task in hand. Thus I believe I learned a great deal from being taught, instead of struggling to get to grips with things by trying to figure it all out for myself.
Company Parties/Events
Above 25 days holiday
Although the internship is not designed to offer you a graduate job at the end, other previous interns I have spoken with have eventually secured a full time place as a result of their internship, and thus I am also hoping to achieve this.
The Culture
On a number of occasions we went out for lunch/evening drinks and this appears to be the norm within the office. The different teams all seem to socialise together which I think helps with the atmosphere in the office.
Having lived in Edinburgh for 3 years now, I am fully aware that it is not a particularly cheap place to live/socialise. However, I can say that it has a great deal to offer, especially with the fringe festival taking place over the same time as my internship, although prices also increase during this period.
Edinburgh has an abundance of pubs/clubs and comedy events and the city is so manageable in terms of accessibility that it is easy to walk around or take a short taxi ride to different parts of the city.
Although I am aware that the office does involve itself in a number of activities, unfortunately none of these took place over the 6 week period in which I was an intern.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Actuary, Business Operations, Financial Management
Scotland
August 2013