Corporate Risk and Broking Summer Internship Review

I enjoyed this internship much more than I thought I would. I was quite dreading starting an internship however Willis Towers Watson colleagues were very inviting and friendly and made me feel at ease from the get go. I was very rarely bored as there was always work set for me to do and lots of engaging activities such as speakers to listen to and volunteering day.

I felt valued as they were always reassuring me that I was doing a good job. They also gave me work to do which would be given to clients or used in the future by the team. This meant that the work I did mattered a fair amount which made me feel much better.

There was constant support, right from before we even started. Anyone I asked for help would immediately help me, even if they did not know me very well. Was encouraged to do lots of things by different people such as networking and even being ambitious on tasks that weren't within the internship.

I was given 8 weeks worth of work to do from my second day on the job. This sounds like a lot but the due dates were spread over these 8 weeks up until the very last day in the office. I was also given other tasks to do by my team. If I finished these tasks I could always do my overall tasks so I was constantly busy. As I was approaching the end I got less and less busy, however.

There was a good amount of work given that had high responsibility associated with it. Some examples are creating slide decks for clients, cleansing client data and learning to use a new piece of software that my team acquired then teaching the team how to use it. There was also a lot of work given for personal development however this bore less responsibility as I was doing it for myself.

My coding skills improved which is fantastic for the future, both at university and in any future careers. My socializing skills improved a fair amount and I am more comfortable talking to people older than me than before. I learned how to manage time better, especially during a working day as it is quite tough to balance a full time job and your day to day life. This will be invaluable in the future.

It was a very relaxed atmosphere in the office. There was a lot of people who were busy working so not as much chatter or bantering. This would happen every once in a while. However, everyone was very nice overall and would say hi and have a little chat with you every so often.

Fantastically organised. From the get go, I was kept informed about all the different things that would be happening, when they would be happening and with who. There was sufficient training throughout and our calendars were always updated with places we had to go for various things. Knew exactly what to expect from the start which is superb.

There was a lot of personal training involved which is great. There were 10 speaker series we had to attend where we'd learn about different teams within the company. We had presentation training and then had to do a group presentation which developed those skills. My team had be learning to use many different software as well as develop skills in software I could already use so there really was a lot.

They are quite appealing as everyone I talked to seems to really enjoy the work that they do and are honest about the parts which they do not enjoy, however these were quite minor points. I think there is a some amount of room to climb up within the organisation but not as much as I'd like there to be.

Interns would go out for lunch together most days. We were active on a group chat on Whatsapp. Everyone was friendly and we'd go out for drinks every so often too. Colleagues went out for drinks a bit less but I think this depends on the team you are put in since other interns went out lots more with their teams.

Since the offices are in City of London, everything around the offices was pretty expensive. Drinks and foods places were pretty expensive so socializing would be quite taxing on the bank account. Even travel around London is expensive which only makes it more difficult. Cost of living I cannot speak on since I am not living here however it is central London so it can't be great either,

The area I worked in had a few bars and public houses nearby which is pretty decent. If you travel a bit further out, 10 minute walk or so, you can get to Shoreditch where the night life is busy and bustling so overall I would say it is good however it is also very expensive.

There were some opportunities to get involved with. We had a compulsory day of volunteering which I think was fantastic. Some people volunteered at a charity shop whilst others volunteered at a disabled home. We were also told about some sports teams but I did not know much about these and never bothered to join.