Summer Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship with Hymans Robertson. I learned a lot about the firm and the industry in general. I felt like I was given a lot of responsibility and was able to help members of the team by doing work for them.

I felt like I was a valued member of the team and that my queries were listened to and taken on board. Everyone was very friendly and open and more than welcome to answer any questions I had, whether it was about a piece of work, studying as an actuary or what it’s like to work at Hymans Robertson. I was also invited to events like end of month drinks were I was able to get to know my colleagues a lot better.

I was given plenty of support during my internship. Everyone was willing to answer any questions and their help was invaluable. I was also able to approach my supervisor and other members of my team for feedback. This was incredibly useful while I was preparing my project and enabled me to better understand the work I was doing and perform a much better presentation.

I had a wide range of work to complete and never found myself with nothing to do. When I did have less work I was able to browse the firm’s intranet and training materials to find out more about the company and the industry in general. This has also allowed me to better understand the demands of an actuarial career, the processes and work that goes on at Hymans Robertson and to find out more about studying to be an actuary.

During my internship I feel I was given a high level of responsibility. I was given the same kinds of work that my colleagues were doing and was responsible for updating some company accounts. I was included in performing anti- money laundering checks which was an important process for the firm. During my internship I was also responsible for monitoring my own workload so when I had less to do I was able to pick up other pieces of work that needed done, giving me a taste of what it is like to work as an actuary.

While working at Hymans Robertson I have better learned how to manage my time due to the wide range of work I had to perform. I will be able to bring this skill to my final year of University where I will have a lot of different deadlines to meet. I have also been able to develop my ability to ask for assistance and have grown more confident in this, a skill I have found difficult in the past. This will be incredibly useful for my final year of University and beyond.

The office was very friendly and open and I was able to get on with everyone but it is clear that everybody works very hard. Everyone was willing to answer any questions I had and their help was greatly appreciated. I was able to ask anyone about their experiences of the firm and about an actuarial career.

The internship was very well set up, especially since I moved in between practises over the course of my internship. I had access to almost everything I needed on the first day and it was a simple process to acquire access if I needed it for a particular piece of work. I always had plenty of work to do and was left in charge of monitoring my workload, giving me the responsibility of reaching deadlines and ensuring I didn’t become overwhelmed. There were also information sessions run by various people working on different projects so I was able to experience even more of the work that goes on at Hymans Robertson.

I was invited to several training sessions and team meetings during the course of my internship and was able and encouraged to contribute during these. I was also able to access past training sessions on the company’s website. This has enabled me to learn a lot more about the industry and the wide range of work and processes that are undergone at Hymans Robertson.

I have yet to receive feedback of my experience at Hymans Robertson but I am expecting and looking forward to some within the next month. Several interns in previous years have been offered graduate roles so there is the possibility of an offer which is an exciting and appealing prospect as I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship.

There were several different social events during the time of my internship. These were events such as end of month drinks and a practise away day, an Olympic themed day of activities ending with a barbeque. These social outings were great fun and allowed me to learn more about my colleagues and socialise outside of work. There were also different clubs run such as badminton and hockey which I was welcome to attend.

I already live in the surrounding area for University so noticed no difference.

The office is in the centre of Glasgow so there are plenty of different restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs and there are a few cinemas nearby. It is also a 2 minute walk from Glasgow Central station so there are plenty of travel connections for anyone who wishes to go further afield.

There are several different social clubs run at Hymans, such as badminton, hockey, running club. I was invited to participate by several different people but unfortunately could not due to other commitments. There were also other firm wide events, such as end of month drinks, which were a great opportunity to meet others in the firm and socialise outside of work.