Underwriting Summer Intern Review

I found the work varied and interesting. It wasn't what I expected but that made the placement in a way

Everyone was extremely helpful and I was given some real responsibility so I did feel like a valued member of the team

I had regular catch-ups with my line manager which helped a lot. I also attended a workshop with senior members of the business and was able to get advice from them

Just the right amount. I had plenty to do but not so much that I was stressing and having to stay really late everyday

I was given a reasonable amount of responsibility as I had my own projects which will be used to help make business decisions once I have left

The time management experience will be extremely useful for further studies

The atmosphere was good mixture. People were not afraid to have a joke but it was nice and quiet when people needed to concentrate. People went for lunch at different times so there was always someone to have lunch with as well.

The overall organisation was good. Intern days were made clear to me in advance so that you can plan around them. Organising days out with other parts of the business was left up to me which was helpful as it let me decided when and where I wanted to go.

I was allowed to attend a wide variety of training courses and was able to complete nine policy wording foundation tests. This gave me a really good grounding in underwriting. I was also able to go on multiple days out with other parts of the business where I enhanced my knowledge of the overall business and the outreach of the company.

The future employment prospects are very good. There was a whole day devoted to explaining the available grad schemes that you could apply for with lots of time to ask questions to people who are currently on the scheme. If you internship went well you may not have to go through the whole recruitment process again and may skip straight to an interview which is very appealing.

I was the only intern in the Liphook office but there was a decent social scene for lunches out or a few drinks after work. There are a lot of internship placements at the Guildford office and the social scene for the interns here was very lively.

The cost of socialising was as expected. It is far enough out of London so prices were not huge. I was able to commute to work from my family home so most of my costs were on petrol. I heard that rooms are available to rent in the village for a reasonable price if needed but student accommodation in Guildford would probably be the cheapest way to go.

As the office was situated in a small village the nightlife mainly revolved around pubs or restaurants. Guildford is not far away if you were looking for a more lively nightlife.

As the scheme was only 9 weeks it was hard to get involved with many activities. For longer placements there is ample opportunity as the company organises trips such as ski trips. There are also company sports teams that you can join as well.