Summer Student Review

Since everyone was so keen to make me feel welcome, as well as make sure I had things to be getting on with, I settled in quickly and very much enjoyed my time there.

I knew that the work I was doing was helpful to my colleagues, and was able to relieve some of their workloads. They were always very grateful for my help.

It was made clear that I can ask questions whenever I would like, and that it is normal to forget some things as I was thrown into several new concepts at once! However this was not daunting in the slightest as I felt very comfortable asking for help, and people were always willing to stop what they were doing to explain something.

This varied from day to day, as it depended very much on the work that the team had on at that point. I did have a large project to work on when I had less work on, so I always found I had something to do without feeling overworked.

I was given a fair amount of responsibility - I was even trusted to speak on the phone and send emails to clients.

I hugely gained in confidence throughout the 8 weeks, which has really aided my teamwork and communication skills. It was interesting to see how my studies of finance are applied to real-world situations. I also believe that I have become more organised in my final year of study.

The office is open-plan; no one has their own individual office which means that everyone is approachable. The atmosphere is friendly and fun - it was a rare occasion to be working in complete silence! At the same time the atmosphere was hard-working; it is clear that everyone was working productively, so there seemed to be the perfect balance between work and fun.

I was given an induction plan prior to starting which showed training sessions and meetings that had been arranged to help me settle in. I was introduced to my buddy on my first day - it was great to have a first point of contact for any general questions I had. I caught up frequently with my people manager and had an hour-long meeting with her half way through my placement. I would therefore say that the internship was well-planned.

I received the same training that the firm provides graduates, so I would say that they greatly invested in my own personal development. I was given a learning log which I used to write down any key skills that I developed throughout my time there.

I received a phone call about a month after the internship ended, where I was given a conditional offer for a graduate job!

Most Fridays there were events happening, such as drinks after work or parties. I attended a treasure hunt which was also great fun.

I found the cost of socialising to be very low since there was often a bar tab, and people were very keen to buy me drinks! However, it is central London so I did make sure to be careful that I did not end up spending too much. I commuted from home so cannot comment on the cost of living.

There were so many bars, restaurants and pubs just a short walk away from the office - the nightlife looked great!

There were some lunches where people played sport, however I wasn't particularly keen on football! I received an email about a SIAS talk on the future role of actuaries, which I attended and found very informative.