Summer intern Review

To a great extent - I immediately felt part of the team, and I felt I had a high level of responsibility over the work I was allocated. The social side was great too - everyone is up for having fun in a variety of ways outside working hours. I would highly recommend the internship to anyone interested in an actuarial career in the future.

Greatly. I felt the work I was doing had real value - I wasn't just doing exercises all the time. I was exposed to a variety of different practice areas which was beyond my expectations - I had anticipated being given all the "worst" work, but I actually felt like I was doing important stuff. Overall, I definitely felt valued by my colleagues, all the way through to the end.

The communication is excellent, I always feel I can ask questions and I was always told when I was on (or off) the right track. I had a mentor who was my main port of call for questions, but I could ask any relevant office member and they would dedicate a few minutes to helping me out, which was great. I also had a supervisor for more managerial questions, but I didn't feel the need to contact him very much.

Depends - some days a lot of work came in at once, other days it would be quiet. It all depended on how much work came in to the firm that day. Often I would ask around for spare pieces of work to get on with, while other times I would be so inundated with things to do I would have to turn people down. The busy days definitely went by the quickest, and I enjoy being productive rather than idle. Overall , I would say the balance was good.

As above, I felt I was truly responsible for some actual work the company was billing for, so there was a little pressure and also motivation. Although most of the work I did was checked by a more senior colleague at some point, I still felt I had to do my absolute best on every piece of work, since ultimately it would end up with the client. I took pride in all my work, and endeavoured to make it the best it could be every time. Overall, I had a great deal of responsibility.

Hopefully to a great extent, if I am offered a graduate job! I am currently in the last week of my internship, so my future as a graduate here is up in the air - however, I feel confident that I can get an actuarial job now (whether it's here or elsewhere) and I know it's what I want to do. In the event of this going ahead as planned, the work I've done during my internship will be invaluable in my future life. So, I would say I've developed skills for life!

Fantastic - everyone was really friendly and helpful without question. The social side of things was excellent too - part of my internship was to organise a company social, and we played laser tag (which I haven't done in at least 10 years). Other socials were the Beer Festival, a pool tournament, football tournament, and many pub trips. During working hours, the atmosphere was informal but also professional - it was always important to do a good job, but to enjoy yourself at the same time.

Very well organised - the managerial structure was good: we had a mentor each, and also a supervisor, both of whom we could ask any questions at any time. We also had various assessments and assigned pieces of work prepared for us throughout the 8 weeks, so it was good to have milestones to aim for. We had a two day induction to get us settled in, but there was also an element of us doing our own thing, because otherwise we wouldn't have integrated as well into the office.

It certainly felt like a great deal - over the 8 weeks, we were given hours and hours of advice, assistance and support. We were exposed to real work, talked through things if they were new to us, and left to our own devices to work things out in some cases. I feel like we've been given real skills to apply in a graduate job as an actuary, but also to future degree work and life in general. Overall, I would say the company invested massively in us, and I aim not to disappoint.

Very, very appealing - I believe I've found exactly the career I want to pursue. The work is very suited to me, and the firm offers an exceptional working/living environment. I will be very disappointed if I don't get offered a graduate job after the internship is over, but if that is the case I'll come back next year for sure. The people I've met here are great, and the skills I've picked up will stand me in good stead for my future.

Yes - there was only one other intern in my office, but we got along really well - we played basketball on the weekends, and were always both involved in company socials. We also helped each other out in terms of the work and assessments we were assigned. It was good to have someone else on your level, and I feel like being able to share stuff with each other was a vital part of the internship as a whole.

Expensive!

Don't know first hand, but apparently good!

As previously discussed, there were many social activities outside of work, one of which was organised by myself. Pool, football, beer festival, laser tag, pub trips etc. Everyone in the office is always up for a good time, and it makes the working day so much easier when you get along with your colleagues. Overall, the social scene was great (particularly since there's always something going on in London), and I would recommend making an effort socially whatever placement you end up getting.