Virtual Attendee at BW Summer Internship Day Review

Overall I really enjoyed the event! Despite the disappointment of the internship being cancelled due to the current climate, BW really went out of their way to organise a great event. Throughout the day, we had a great mixture of larger group sessions, where we would learn more about the history of BW and their different business areas, and smaller group sessions, where we got to chat with recent graduates about everything from exams to office socials. I particularly enjoyed these smaller sessions, as it gave the graduates an opportunity to chat with us and tell us about their experiences at BW so far; as someone who is due to graduate next year, this was especially useful.

I think what surprised me the most about the day was simply how friendly and nice everyone was! All the members of graduates and employees we met throughout the day were really approachable and went out their way to make us feel comfortable and not too formal. The fact that the founding partner of the company [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] took the time to pop in and talk to a bunch of undergraduates really says a lot about the lengths to which BW values its employees and potential new recruits.

I received loads of guidance and information on a lot of different aspects. During the exams session, I learnt about the typical exam pathway an actuary takes, what benefits come with these exams and what kind of support BW provides its graduates with their studies. The session on BW tools was especially interesting as we got an insight into the specifics of actuarial work and the different software used to aid this analysis. We also got to hear about the different business areas at BW such as actuarial and investment consulting, the differences between them and why graduates may have picked one over the other.

With the event being virtual, it is difficult to develop any hard skills however the event was extremely informative and I finished the day having learnt a great deal about both BW and actuarial work as a whole. In particular the session about exams was very helpful and because of this I will certainly be picking modules in my third year that will help me further on down the line. Like I said earlier, the graduates were really accommodating and just the general advice they gave us was probably the most valuable information we, as undergraduates, can receive.

Overall, the event was very well structured; The more informative, presentation based sessions were interspersed with more informal, "Q&A style" sessions so that we weren't overwhelmed with information. We were placed in groups based on office location so that we could ask office specific questions and the groups were small enough to allow everyone to get involved. Being a virtual event, I did wonder whether there might be technical issues but the day ran smoothly and Fuze (the conferencing app) was super easy to use.

As I said earlier, everyone we got the chance to speak with was really friendly and approachable. With these type of events, I think students sometimes feel on edge or nervous but the day wasn't too formal and because of this I think everyone got the most out of it. It felt very much like a normal conversation as opposed to this daunting experience where everyone treads on eggshells. I would definitely use this event as a model if I were t be involved in something like this in the future.

Obviously, due to current circumstances, the event had to be done virtually and over one day so there wasn't much scope for training and development of any hard skills. However, for a one day event I do feel as though I learned as much as could reasonably be expected of someone in such a short amount of time. BW went to great lengths to make sure that we left the event armed with as much information as possible; they definitely invested their time, energy and resources into making the event productive for us.

If I were to summarise the purpose of the event I would say that it was to gain an understanding of what full time roles look like at BW. We learned about what the first few years of a role would look like as graduates spoke about their experiences with balancing exams and a full time job. There were many sessions centred on exposing us to the tools that consultants use on a day to day basis as well as sessions focused on general office life (office socials, fundraising etc).

I would say there was an emphasis on helping us understand the company as a whole. Instead of just showing us the technical aspects of the role we were introduced to BWs key ideas of principled, quality, partnership and respect. It became apparent that, unlike a lot of companies in the financial industry, BW promote a healthy work life balance and employees form friendships there that extend outside the office. There are plenty of office socials every year to get involved in, zoom quizzes and even an annual company-wide football/netball tournament. Whenever a graduate passes an exam, the team all go to the pub to celebrate with them and so it seems like a big part of BW culture is supporting your colleagues and taking pride in their successes.

The event was incredibly informative and in just one day I feel as though we got a very well-rounded and comprehensive insight into both BW as a company and actuarial work. It was probably the most technical look at the specifics involved int actuarial analysis and the tools that help carry this out. I found this information extremely useful and I'm sure that it will be very helpful in the coming months as I make key decisions on my future career path.

There were no expenses for this event so there was no need for reimbursement. Having said that, for an assessment day late last year I was reimbursed fully by BW for my travel expenses so I would imagine that, if there had been expenses, I would have been reimbursed. This event was more of an insight into a working life at BW and so we weren't paid for it; it just wasn't that sort of event.

Throughout the day I met loads of BW employees from almost all the offices across the firm. As I mentioned previously we got the opportunity to talk with [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions], BWs founding partner, who was incredibly down to earth and gave us a great understanding of BW's history. For the sessions on the different consulting areas and BW tools, we got to hear from many different senior consultants about the work they do and in the smaller sessions we got to chat with recent graduates about exams, socials and just office life in general. It was particularly nice to finally meet [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions], BWs talent acquisition advisor who organised this event, and finally put a face to the emails.

In terms of networking, I got to meet many different employees from founding partners to recent graduates across many different offices (which I guess is a major benefit of a virtual event over an in person one). Due to the event being only for one day, there wasn't really an opportunity for any sort of social event however we were made aware of the multitude of social opportunities BW offers it's employees all year round.

As I mentioned previously, I found out loads about different activities employees at BW can get involved in outside of work! We had a session with some graduates from the Cheltenham office about office socials and all the other things BW employees get up to. Aside from office socials, football tournaments and the annual Christmas do, BW also offer 1 day off a year for volunteering and also match any employee's personal donations to recognised charities and organisations.

Due to the unusual circumstances at the moment, it is unlikely that this specific event will take place again. I'm sure BW will look to have their internship scheme up and running again by next year, however I would definitely recommend BW as a company to any friend of mine interested in this line of work.