Trustee Consulting Summer Intern Review

The internship was a great experience. I learned a lot, both about Barnett Waddingham and the actuary profession as a whole. The programme is extremely well organised and we are given a mentor and a supervisor, both very nice and helpful. In particular, I appreciated that the standards against which we are measured were made clear from the beginning and sufficient time was given to complete each task or exercise.

I was given the opportunity to get involved in client work from the very first week, and my work was recognised and valued by colleagues. I was very much treated as a member of the team and thanked for every job well done, and when I made mistakes the colleague would sit with me and walk me through it. The office culture is very supportive.

The supervisor was more than happy to answer any questions at any time. Additionally, before any of the assessed exercises the supervisor would sent a detailed email explaining the exercise step by step and clarifying any part of the exercise, as necessary. The supervisor also ensured I have plenty of work at all times and that I am happy with the volume of work given to me.

The volume and pace of work were spot on. I never found myself sat at my desk doing nothing, but at the same time when I had to prepare for an assessed exercise I had plenty of time to go over it as many times as needed. In the first few weeks I felt on a steep learning curve, whilst in the last few weeks I got to practice what I had learned again and again, until I was confident about the process.

I was given tasks in the same way that every other member of the team is. Actuarial work has to always be checked by another person before being sent off, so I never had to do a piece of work that would be sent straight to the client. In my opinion, this is a great way of doing it as small calculation mistakes often occur and it is comforting to know someone more experienced will check your work.

I have learned an enormous amount in only eight weeks! The wide range of work focuses on numerous skills, for example the Student Presentation taught me how to effectively research a topic and adapt a presentation to the audience. I also highly improved my confidence and time management, particularly as I had to clock in my time every day and explain what I have done. I've also improved my communication skills by adapting to the office environment, which will prove highly valuable in university and beyond.

The atmosphere in the office surprised me from the beginning! I expected a stressful corporate environment and it was not like that at all. Whilst everyone is working hard, they always find time for a chat and one or two funny emails are always expected to go around, particularly on Fridays. People are very relaxed and it is definitely not the kind of internship where you end up going home hours and hours after the end of your working day.

Incredibly well organised! I was given a folder with all the information I needed (and much, much more!) from the first day, which detailed what the company does, as well as the steps of the internship, the tasks, the assessed exercises and the skills the company is looking for. There are two reviews in place to assess where you are and how to improve, which are extremely useful in helping you progress. Overall, the steps are very clear and the support in there should you need any.

I had quite a few training sessions in the beginning, after that is was a lot more practice-focused. This was convenient as there was a massive amount of information given in the initial training and it took me another week or two of practice to learn how to apply what I have learned in a productive way.

Extremely appealing! I have not yet completed the internship, but should I be successful in securing a place on the graduate scheme, I would most likely accept it straight away. I enjoyed my time on the internship, as well as the actual work I've done and the culture of sociability and support in the office.

Absolutely. There are many opportunities to network and everyone is more than happy to chat to you and hear about where you are studying and how you feel you are progressing in the office. There are many events in place and the company kindly offers to pay for tickets for new joiners, which encourages everyone to take part.

My parents live close by so the cost of living was not an issue. In terms of socialising, I lived in the area before so I was not surprised that the prices are fairly high. Even though the lifestyle costs are above average, there is a lot more to do and saving is not a problem if you organise yourself well. I definitely spent much less than I expected to spend during the internship.

I am generally not a fan of clubs, but I hear the area is one of the best for clubbing in particular! In terms of pubs, there are numerous pubs in close proximity to the office and most of them are very nice and serve great food! There is also a wide variety of restaurants and cafes.

Every Friday it is pub night and quite a few people from the office head to some pub close by (every week we went to a different pub), where people are very friendly and the conversation quickly goes from office work to sports to funny stories. We also got to take part in the SIAS Annual Boat Party, which was an absolutely fantastic experience! I met so many actuaries and they were all happy to chat and give me all kinds of different advice about university and the actuarial profession.