Summer Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this internship, both from the content of the job, and working at Barnett Waddingham. I enjoyed the mixture of working with the Actuarial and Investment team, which was interesting to see the different contexts they work in, and gave a nice balance of calculation and creative tasks. The majority of work was directly for clients, and I was able to meet partners and managers from other firms.

I felt extremely valued by everyone I came across. The company has a fantastic "family" vibe, and everyone is very friendly. I was given real client work to do, and was given helpful and constructive feedback on this. We were also given tasks to organise various socials, so we had responsibility for entertaining the entire office!

Every summer student is given a personal mentor, who is usually a few years older than you. In London, we were all then looked after by two supervisors. Everyone was very supportive, and offered a point of contact throughout the programme if you were ever unsure of anything. We also had reviews half way through, and at the end to give feedback from everyone we've worked with which was very nice to hear.

I was mostly very busy, but some days were busier than others. There were periods of time when the workload was low, but I could let others know that they could send work my way, and I could also read up on the latest news in the Company, and in the pensions world.

We were given real client work, which was eventually sent directly to the client. The majority of work is checked by various others to ensure it is correct. We were also tasked with organising socials, which were for not only the entire office, but other offices too. Each of us met with a client, or other firm, which was interesting to see what other issues more senior figures deal with.

The skills and knowledge I have developed are fantastic for the remainder of my degree and after. The mathematical and economic skills carry directly to my degree (MORSE at Warwick), and the communication skills and presentations are fantastic for my dissertation this coming year. If I am to work here again, or more generally in the Actuarial world, the training is perfect for being far more at ease in the Company than before. Everything has been very useful.

The atmosphere in the office was fantastic, and very welcoming. Everyone is friendly, and keen to ensure you are getting on well. I found that the Investment department, being slightly smaller, were more talkative than Actuarial, but this is personal preference, and both departments help you out if you were ever stuck with a piece of work.

The internship was set up very well. We had an initial 2 training days in Leeds, where we met all the interns before going to our respective offices. We had various training sessions throughout the internship, and dedicated pieces of work were organised to be handed to us each. We also had 3 projects, and a few "tests", which gave structure to the time.

We were given various training sessions throughout the internship, mostly in the first few weeks. We gave presentations, and organised socials, and were given personal feedback on these to take into account for the future - this was very helpful. If we were ever unsure about anything, we knew that we could ask our mentor, and everyone who set a task was very keen to ensure we knew what we were doing.

I would very much enjoy working for Barnett Waddingham, as they have a brilliant atmosphere. The feedback I have been given has been positive and constructive, so I am looking forward to hearing the final result. The final review takes place in the final week, and a decision on a graduate role is made one week after you finish.

There were lots of socials to take part in: a boat party, socials organised by other interns, pub night every Friday, lunches, and sports events you could get involved in. We also all eat lunch together in the office café area, which is nice to catch up properly in the day. Everyone is up for attending socials, which were fun to look forward to.

The City is obviously one of the more expensive areas to live and socialise in. The majority of interns lived with family outside of the City, but the commute is expensive. Going out in London can be pricey, but I think this is more an adjustment from university, and something that wouldn't be so bad once you have a job!

There is a huge array of pubs, bars and restaurants to go to, and the boat party on the Thames was very nearby, with an after-party should you want to carry on. Pub night on a Friday is organised every week, and you can suggest the pub - there are lots to pick from. I was not aware of people going clubbing, but as this is London, I am sure there are clubs there should you wish!

Sports events are quite a large part of the Company: football, cricket and netball are the ones I noticed particularly. There are inter-firm competitions, as well as matches between offices. You can also just go to drink and support if you do not want to play! There are also a fair few lunches and events to organise, so you can definitely get involved with them.