Summer intern - Risk Retirement and Finance Review

by Mercer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.6/5
  • The Role
    3.8
  • The Company
    3.5
  • The Culture
    3.5

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • Actuarial work was much more interesting than I'd been led to believe, as were the actuaries! Several nights out, a football tournament and friendly, helpful colleagues all made for an excellent 8 weeks of work. The reason for 9 stars, rather than 10, is the fact that I was short of work to do at times, which makes the day drag somewhat. There's only so many times you can read the company website!

    5/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • An excellent office atmosphere, and everyone was friendly and eager to help. Due to the availability of work, I sometimes found that I was doing the filing and making the tea... but these were by no means my only jobs!

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Again, excellent support structure. Everybody was eager to help with information about the profession, the exams, and the job. On top of that, I had a regular catch-up with my manager with feedback on how the internship was going and what they were looking for in terms of work and behaviour. My internship went quite smoothly, but I feel like the support structure would have been there even if I was struggling.

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • In fairness, the only work I was really qualified to do was, by its nature, quick. That meant that my work tended to come in bunches - either really busy or twiddling my thumbs. My team were happy to help and pass jobs over where possible, but I still spent many hours doing my own research on the actuarial profession, and on Mercer.

    2/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I was responsible for managing my own workload, without being chased once over the 8 weeks. I also managed to get involved in a project during my time at Mercer, as part of which I was responsible for dividing work between the project group and had some input into managing the budget for the project. Overall, a surprising amount of responsibility for an intern.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • I got a whole lot better at using Excel! Apart from that, the 'peer review' structure in place for any work that goes out of the office is an excellent basis for any work you need to do to a high standard. I'll certainly try and apply it to anything important I send out in the future.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Very friendly. Lots of tea rounds and chat/banter during office hours, and several nights out, including a football tournament between members of the actuarial society (which was of a better standard than it sounds).

    5/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Almost seamless. If it could have been arranged so that there's always some work to fall back on, it would help a lot. Otherwise, good.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • Only an induction day in London, and an afternoon learning a bit about Mercer as a whole.

    2/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Company Parties/Events
    2/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • A good office atmosphere is so important, since you spend so much time there. Mercer's was brilliant, and I could see the support and development in place for people all the way up the to senior management. If I got an offer, I'd snap it up.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Of the three other interns in the office, I've only seen one outside office hours (and it's not for lack of being out!). That said, the social side of the office is good in general; it may just be circumstance that caused people not to be out.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • North West of England = cheap :)

    5/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Good. There's some of everything - I managed to get to a rock/metal night, a couple of dance clubs, and a casino.

    5/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • If this means outside of socialising, no not really.

    2/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Actuary, Business Operations

North West

August 2012

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