Actuarial Consulting - Pensions Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Aon. My role was actuarial consulting in the pensions field, which I did not have any knowledge of prior to the placement. Although this field was not what I had expected to find myself looking to start a career in, my development and fascination from working at Aon has helped me to realise this is a careee I wish to pursue.

I felt very valued and supported by my colleagues. The office I worked in was an agile environment, meaning I could sit next to colleagues of all levels. Each colleague would take the time to answer any technical questions I had, as well as being personal, many of whom I have now built relationships with.

I worked closely with my manager throughout my placement, who supported and guided me. We would regularly discuss my development and feedback, ensuring I was getting the most out of the placement. I also had mentoring sessions with the lead of non-qualified actuaries, who would also take the time to ensure my development.

When I first joined Aon, like most new jobs I had a lot of capacity whilst I was learning the technical aspects of the role, and the company policies. As the placement progressed I was given more responsibility and would have a good balance workload, as well as knowing the future work I could expect.

Similarly to my workload, at the beginning of my placement I was not given much responsibility as colleagues would explain each step of a task to me. As the placement progressed, and my technical understanding developed, I would know which work was at my level to complete (without delegation) as well as taking on bigger projects.

When I started my placement I had no knowledge of pensions or actuarial sciences. By learning on the job, I now have an in depth understanding of both of these fields both on legislation and technical, having also had the opportunity of going on a training course in the duration ofmy placement.

I was very happy with the atmosphere at the office. I was able to get involved in multiple activities with my colleagues both in and out of work, one example is of weekly football games. As I have already mentioned, everyone in the office is very friendly and easy to get along with.

The placement was eh well organised, with clear structures put in placement throughout the year. At the start there are training days where you learn the basic technical aspects of your individual role, and then at the end there is also feedback on how the placement could be improved for the next cohort.

Aon was heavily involved in developing me. There were multiple development sessions that occurred throughout the year, in addition to lunchtime sessions that I could get involved in. I was also able to speak to my manager about going on additional courses to develop my own understanding of the role.

I personally am looking at returning to Aon after I graduate as part of the graduate scheme. There is the opportunity to be offered a graduate job without further assessment if both you and the company come to a mutual agreement. There are multiple graduate roles that Aon offers, not just the role you undertake your placement in.

There was a very good social atmosphere at the office, with multiples social events happening throughout the year, I even organised a few of them. Everyone in the office was very friendly, and I was able to chat with all of my colleagues both regarding the role and on a leisurely level.