Summer Actuarial Internship Review
by Punter Southall
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.3
-
The Company
3.9
-
The Culture
4.5
- 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
Overall my experience was excellent.
The feedback given by my colleagues generally made me feel highly valued. This was especially the case when my team worked together to make a deadline on a certain project.
Everyone I worked with was very happy to explain things to me, sometimes multiple times. They all showed a great deal of patience and enthusiasm.
Most of the time I had more than one task to complete, but I was able to complete all tasks within the deadline. In addition, the research project undertaken by me and the other interns ensured that I always had something to do.
Although I was given plenty of responsibility, there wasn't too much pressure to get everything right the first time because all client work was checked multiple times by different people (due to Punter Southall being a consultancy).
The skills I improved the most include: time management, teamwork, presentation, report-writing, MS Office - particularly Excel and word, and managing conflicting deadlines. I also learned a great deal about actuarial consultancy, including mathematical techniques.
The Company
The atmosphere was generally very pleasant and a little quiet due to everyone being so hardworking.
No criticisms of the organisation of the internship at all.
I was often given tasks which could have been completed by my colleagues faster than the time it would take to explain the task to me. This made me feel like they were making a real effort to invest in my skills for the long-term.
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
The job offers haven't been given out yet. However, I've been told that if they have a job available they would be happy to give it to me because of my performance during the internship.
The Culture
The 3 of us had lunch together everyday and we all went to many of the office pub-visits.
Guildford is expensive compared to many places in the UK, but "Cheap as Chips" compared to London. I live nearby and I can get the park and ride into work which costs £1.80 a day so it was very cost-effective for me.
There are plenty of pubs and a few bars in the Guildford area. The clubs aren't great but that probably isn't relevant for this internship.
My colleagues and I went to the pub after work every Friday. We also had the summer meal at a tapas restaurant and there were about 4 cricket matches during my time there. The other interns and I were taken out for welcome/goodbye lunches as well.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Market Research, Actuary, Data Science
South East
August 2014