Analyst Review

Thoroughly enjoyed my summer internship. Learnt a variety of new skills and got involved with many exciting projects. The training available on starting was extremely well given and particularly directed to those with limited prior knowledge of pensions, and was useful throughout the placement when carrying out tasks, and engaging in discussions with colleagues.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. All were willing to take time out of their day to explain work, as well as giving a more detailed background to it. Furthermore, colleagues were very willing and happy to give advice for my technical presentation and this was hugely beneficial for gaining an understanding of the topic as well as preparing me for questions that could be asked and how to respond to these.

Levels of support available were excellent from my manager, as well as those supervising my tasks. However, support given was not limited to my managers - all colleagues were willing to give help and advice when I was stuck. I felt as though I was incorporated into the team as a valued member.

Generally, I was always busy, but never overwhelmed. Work supervisors ensured I had enough work to do and allocated enough time and support to complete tasks within the desired time frame. I carried out a wide variety of work on a number of different clients and this exposure allowed me to see a broad spectrum of the exciting work WTW is involved in.

As would be expected for a summer internship, the level of responsibility given to me was limited due to my lack of experience and the need to learn new skills. Despite this, I felt as though I was given responsibility over my time and how I allocated it between different tasks. By the end I was being allocated larger more important pieces of work to complete, reflecting the knowledge I had gained.

The skills I have gained will be extremely important in my future studies, both in terms of personal organisation and attitude to learning new skills. Additionally, I will look to use the excel skills that I have gained in order to aid in project work when returning to university as part of my final year dissertation.

The office atmosphere was extremely lively, and as a summer intern I felt very welcomed to all the events that were hosted. These varied greatly, including the summer socials as well as being asked to organise the team social. The office was extremely friendly and as interns we built a strong friendship group.

The internship was very well organised. Before starting, we were allocated a line manager, as well as being introduced to our graduate buddies. A start, mid, and end review with our manager was organised where objectives were discussed and feedback from colleagues was given. Furthermore, we had 2 catch-ups with the HR intern contacts to ensure we were getting on ok. Shadowing of a senior colleague was also arranged for us in order to give us an exposure to the sort of work other people get involved with.

A large proportion of the first week was allocated to training - both in terms of the backgrounds to pensions consultancy and the technical skills needed to carry out tasks. We also completed exercises, similar in nature to the actuarial exams, to give an idea of the continued development that is required to become a qualified.

At this stage (having not completed the placement), I am unsure of the future prospects. However, I feel as though I have performed in a professional manner and have completed all work to the desired standard and within the required time frames.

The social scene has been enjoyable. With 8 interns joining at the same time, there was large opportunities for sociable activities and we built good personal and professional relationships. Joining in the summer was the perfect time for work organised socials, and I was responsible for organising the team social.

I was able to live at home during this internship, so the cost of living and socialising was minimal. However, compared to the cost and time of commuting to London every day which could have been an option for this summer, the walk to work was far more convenient.

There is limited opportunities for clubbing. However there are numerous pubs which were often visited on a Friday evening.

WTW ran after work badminton and football which offered a friendly, yet competitive, place to play sport and get to know other colleagues from around the office.