Actuarial Intern - Pensions Review

I really enjoyed this internship with Aon. It provided a proper insight into a line of work (actuary) I didn't initially know much about. Everyone that I spoke to was really helpful, engaging and delighted to teach. I got to do a wide variety of things and there was constant opportunity to learn through webinars and discussions. While a lot of the work itself was fairly routine, the exposure to specialist aspects of the business was fascinating.

Aon has a buddy / connector system which provided a quick and easy point of reference if I ever ran into difficulty. This was a fantastic way of helping to personalise the experience. I felt comfortable contacting anyone in the company and can't really think of any negative interactions overall. People were happy to delegate work to me and were always grateful once I'd completed it. I was included in numerous development opportunities that weren't primarily intended for me,

Between my manager and connector, I was given a lot of support and guidance. I felt they did a great job in helping me to setlle in, especially considering that this was all done in a virtual environment. My connector was great in securing me work and inviting me along to development opportunities. Through setting clear goals, my manager aided me in making the most out of the whole experience while also being another useful contact.

At the beginning of the internship I didn't have much to do in the way of client work. However, Aon provided plenty of independent learning tasks to occupy time. As time went on and I began to get more involved in client work, I had plenty to get involved with. There were some days when I had to do some overtime to meet deadlines but such days were very infrequent. I think overall it was a decent balance.

Most of the work I did was relatively routine, basic work that was passed up the chain before being handed over to clients. The more independent work came in the form of the intern project which ran for the whole length of the internship. It was a team-based project with some support from an assigned project manager. Work had to be self-motivated and deadlines met. There wasn't too much guidance regarding how we should go about it.

I believe the skills I developed and training I received will be extremely useful, primarily in my future career inspirations. The industry knowledge and technical skills will be invaluable should I be successful in hopefully pursuing a similar career path. I think I'll really benefit from having done this internship virtually as I think such communication skills will be vital in the future. My communication skills were probably lacking before this internship so I'm glad to have been able to develop this.

The general atmosphere in my (virtual) office was very good. People took the time to check in when I began which I felt was a really nice introsuction. Everyone was very welcoming and approachable - happy to have conversaions even when busy. There were regular coffee catch ups, as well as a few virtual socials. I think people really enjoyed living the principles of Aon United, for example constantly taking the time to help develop teams.

Considering the prevailing circumstances, the internship was set up very well. Despite having to change from an office internship to a virtual internship in March, things were arranged very smoothly and there were only a few technical hitches. The first week (induction) had a very regimented structure but this kind of diminished. This wasn't necessarily a negative as it allowed for us to get involved in a variety of client team opportunities, mimicing the way graduates worked.

In personal training and development terms I felt that the company invested a lot. The internship began with a 4 day induction. 2 days spent on a more general introduction to the firm and then 2 days spent on specific technical training. Throughout the internship there were regular training sessions led by the consultants which delved into more specific aspects of the role. When being delegated work, colleagues made the effort to give very in depth explanations.

I think future employment prospects within this organisation are very appealing. On the one hand it was great to work alongside all the Aon colleagues as they were very invested in my personal development. They also provided lots of interesting and unique opportunities that I don't think I would be able to get involved with elsewhere. Combined with lots of interesting routine work I think this represents a very appealing and attractive opportunity for future employment.

There was a decent social scene amongst fellow interns considering the circumstances at the time of the internship. The company was able to facilitate this by setting up a peer coaching group with the other interns doing similar roles in different regions. We had weekly meetings to discuss how things were going and try and resolve any problems we were having. There was also the opportunity to communicate with interns from abroad in several combined sessions.

Did the internship virtually so not much nightlife.