Actuary Review

I have really enjoyed my internship. I have had the opportunity to get involved in a range of social activities in the office as well gaining an insight into the job. I have been well trained and given jobs which would be expected of a new graduate meaning I have a very good idea what a job would entail.

From the beginning of my internship colleagues made me feel very welcome and throughout have been very helpful and friendly. I have been very well supported throughout my internship and given help and extra training when I felt I needed it. I have been invited and encouraged to go to many social activities which have taken place. The office was an extremely friendly, happy place to go to work and colleagues always thanked me for any work I did for them making me feel like a valued member of the team.

Management introduced themselves to me and often checked I was doing ok throughout the internship. I had regular meetings with my mentor and supervisor to discuss my progress, give feedback and ask if there were any further opportunities I was looking for. I was sat next to my mentor and encouraged to ask any questions I had at any point throughout the internship. I felt very supported and had plenty of guidance.

I always had work to do each day. Some days were more quite than others but this was mainly due to it being the summer holidays so the office was going through a quieter period. My mentor, supervisor and team leader were very good at finding work for me to do when I said I was quitter. All members of the team were very good an willing at delegating suitable tasks to me. Overall I was given a sufficient amount of work so was never bored, however I could have coped with more work had it been available.

I was given responsibility to complete client work, however this was always checked by someone more senior to ensure it was correct. I always received feedback on pieces of work I had done so I knew how to improve. I was given an appropriate level of responsibility for and intern.

I have gained many skills both relevant to my degree and future career. I have developed a lot of skills specific to the actuary profession which I have never had the opportunity to develop before which will be invaluable going forward. I have also gained a lot of softer skills which will assist me in my degree studies.

The atmosphere in my office was very friendly and relaxed. Everybody was very professional but they were also very good friends and got on well together. There were office wide events such as a tombola and inter office football and netball competitions. On a Friday the interns were responsible for ordering sandwiches for the office which was a fantastic way to get to know people.

The overall internship was organised very well with a whole group induction for the first few days before starting at our actual office, allowing us to meet other people doing the internship and receive some training before we began. The rest of the internship was very well organised with a clear set of required and optional exercises to be completed.

We received lots of personal training, with group training at the start in addition to individual training relevant to jobs we were completing. Since we were give a wide range of client work to do that meant we received lots of individual training in addition to the required blanket training. We also receive lots of training on all the in house software.

Future employment prospects with the organisation are very appealing since there are lots of opportunities for training and development. The company was fantastic to work for and provided a very supportive,friendly environment. Students joining are very well supported when studying for their actuarial exams. The organisation is growing so there are lots of new opportunities.

There were lots of opportunities to socialise with colleagues within the office, between offices and with other interns. At the start of the internship there was opportunities to socialise with other interns. During the placement there were inter office netball and football tournaments to socialise with colleagues from different offices. Every Friday the team at mu office had a trip to the pub and there were also opportunities to go to weekly quiz nights and a monthly board game night. As interns we also had to opportunity to organise a social which was well attended.

I did not notice a specific difference in the cost of living and socialising in the area I worked. It was neither more expensive nor cheaper than I am used to. Most people who live in the area did not seem to have a problem with the cost of living and socialising.

The area in which I worked was very quiet and in the countryside, however it was easily accessible by several road links. Despite this there were pubs and shops not too far away and it was only half an hour away from the centre of Birmingham where there is a much livelier nightlife.

There were lots of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. There was an inter office football and netball competition, weekly quiz night, monthly board games evening and the opportunity to play 5 a side football one lunchtime a week. There was also opportunities for people to socialise with their families at a weekend picnic.