Defined Contribution Consulting Intern Review

On an average day I will help to create materials for client meetings such as papers or presentations. I will also email clients to discuss projects or asset managers to request information about investment funds, I will spend time working on my project or my project presentation which is presented at the end of my internship. As the office uses hot desking and is open plan, I will interact with people of all levels every day, which is good exposure to meeting people. I also have meetings to learn about different parts of the business.

I have gained an understanding of investments and investment strategies, and how investment strategies are applied by defined contribution pension schemes. I have also gained an understanding of defined contribution scheme governance and the requirements that schemes have to follow. I have been able to develop my writing and presenting skills, and as well as my data gathering and data presentation skills. I have also been able to work on my professional communication skills both internally and externally.

I was given lots of responsibility, being trusted to work on client work from the beginning of my internship. All work is checked multiple times before it goes out to clients, but that happens for everyone due to the nature of the work being done. I was trusted to work independently on pieces of work which I could try to work through myself without supervision, knowing though that I could ask for help at any time.

I received a lot of support and guidance throughout my internship. Every time I was given a new task I would have a call with the person giving me the task to talk through the background of the task and what I was to do. I found this very useful as it made sure I actually understood what I was doing rather than just going through the motions. I also knew that I could reach out to anyone at any time for further support

The company culture is good, with everyone being very friendly and approachable. The office uses hybrid working, so you see different people on different days with most people working from home three days a week. The defined contribution consulting team is based over four offices so it wasn't possible to meet everyone in person but I always felt that I could message people on teams or email them if I needed help with something.

I enjoyed my placement. I found the work to be varied and, while I did not enjoy every task I did, I found that I had plenty of work that I did enjoy to fill my time. It was a very good introduction to what it would be like to work in the pensions industry and I feel that I have a much better idea about what a career as a defined contribution consultant would look like, which will help me make a decision about what I want to do in the future.

Yes

I would say that you should make sure you have done plenty of research about pensions, actuarial consulting, and the company when you are applying. It is important that you are able to answer questions and show that you are motivated and want to be working in the industry as become an actuary has a long training period and it is a big investment from companies. I would also say to try to reach out and speak to as many different people across the business as possible while on your internship.