Trustee consulting summer intern Review

The internship was a very enjoyable experience. It was well structured and someone had obviously spent a lot of time developing the programme. The first two days of the internship were spent in Leeds with all other summer interns from every office. These days consisted of ice breakers and training which was nice as it meant you got to know the other people who you would be working with before being sent straight into the office. The company paid for a meal out and hotel stay whilst we were there.

From day one I was given the opportunity to work on real client work. Everyone in the office was incredibly helpful and would take the time to explain each task in depth so that I knew exactly how to complete it. All work completed was appreciated and valued, and if there were any mistakes then the colleague would take the time to sit and explain where i'd gone wrong.

On our first day in the office our supervisor was the first person who we met. He was very helpful throughout the internship and always available to answer questions. Throughout the internship we also had three assessed exercises to complete which consisted of creating a short presentation, and the supervisor explained these in detail and clarified any queries we had about them. My mentor was very supportive and would always check that I was okay for workload and that my preparation for the assessed exercises was going okay.

Throughout the internship I had a good amount of tasks to be getting on with, I found the days went incredibly quickly as I was preoccupied with tasks which I was getting stuck into. On occasions where the workload was too much it was okay to turn down tasks, there were two other interns also in the team and so we used to just reallocate tasks between us if one had little tasks to do and another too many.

I was given the responsibility to work on real client work, and the impression I got is that we were doing exactly the same work as what a new grad would do. I drafted many real client reports and documents, which were then checked by more senior colleagues. All client work done by any colleague at Barnett Waddingham is checked before being sent and so this was not just because it was intern work. It was also comforting to know that calculations would be checked before being sent.

During the internship i developed many transferable skills that will be aid me in the future. I learnt so much during the 8 weeks when I look back to how much I knew at the beginning! Every day we had to record our time for each task on a programme called task stream to show what we had done that day. This process really helped me improve my time management skills and meant I worked more efficiently so that I could record productive hours each day. The internship also improved my confidence as I met new people and became more comfortable in the office environment. Producing presentations for the assessed tasks also really helped my improve my presentation skills and highlighted to me ways in which I could also improve them in the future.

Everyone in the office was very friendly and quick to introduce themselves to us at the beginning of the internship. There is a relaxed atmosphere whilst people work hard, but also a bit of chatter every so often and bit of banter flowing round the emails. People are very approachable and available to answer any questions. It seems like most people in the office work 9-6 and there aren't people staying in late every night.

The internship was very well organised, I was surprised as just how well thought out it was. At the induction day in Liverpool we were given a large folder which had lots of information about the company, the work we'd be doing, and helpful information for the assessed exercises. We had a mid-point review and an end of internship review with our mentor and supervisor. The mid-point review was very helpful as it gives you the opportunity to get some feedback and ask questions about the work you're doing. In the final review you receive feedback for all of the assessed exercises and for work you have completed for colleagues in the office.

The company provided a two day training programme in Liverpool which was great, and we continued to have lots of training sessions once we were in the London office for about three weeks. These additional training sessions in the office were very helpful as they helped me understand the tasks I was doing more clearly.

Future employment prospects from Barnett Waddingham are very appealing, they are a lovely company who really do seem to value their employees. A lot of the people working at Barnett Waddingham joined as summer students or graduates, and so it is obvious from their employee retention that it must be a great place in which to work.

Every Friday there was always a group of people in the office heading off the pub and there are many social events outside of work to get involved in. During the internship there was an organised beer festival as well as the SIAS boat party, for which the company paid for our tickets. There was also a Barnett Waddingham inter office football tournament that was in Amersham.

During the internship I stayed with family so did not have to worry about the cost of living, which is obviously quite high being London. The costs of socialising were standard for London, but there's lots on offer. You can make it cheaper by bringing in lunch each day etc, but there's so many nice places to eat near to the office which are all very tempting!

The nightlife in London is great with so much variety that there is something for everyone! The night tubes started this summer too which means getting home is no issue. There's loads of pubs near to the office for if you fancy heading somewhere straight after work.

A group of people from the office head to the pub straight from work every Friday, so that is always an option if you fancy it. There was also the SIAS boat party at the beginning of the internship, for which the company kindly paid for our tickets as new interns. The company also go to the SIAS ball which takes place later this year and apparently is a good laugh. There was a social to Olympia beer festival which was fun.