Actuarial Summer Intern Review

The Mercer summer placement is set up to give interns a taste of what to expect if you were to continue on to their graduate programme. I was given a variety of different tasks to complete during my time with the company which has given me the oppertunity to work with many different teams in both the my own office and other Mercer offices around the UK as well as giving me a good impression of what I would be doing in the graduate programme.

From day one, my colleagues made me feel like I was part of the team and have always been willing to answer any questions. They have also taken the time to ensure they fully explained tasks and to provide background information when needed in order to increase my understanding of what I was required to do and of the client I was working on. In addition, a number of social events were organised during the summer placement which was a great way to get to know your colleagues.

Everything I was asked to do was explained clearly with background information and examples given to help me understand the task at hand. All team members were also very willing to answer any questions I had.

I was generally kept busy in the office and if I did run out of work, my collegues were willing to find something else for me to do or I could use the time to work on my research project.

At Mercer I was treated as part of the team from the onset and was given just as much responsibility as a new graduate. You are not solely just given the calculation to do, you are also responsible for querying any issues which arise, replying to admin and archieving the relevant information.

The summer internship has provided me with a wealth of knowledge which will be very valuable when starting my career as an actuarial trainee. In additon the persentation skill have provided a great oppertunity to imporve my communicaton skills as as working with my colleagues as part of a close team.

Everyone in the office is really friendly and approachable.

Very well organised, it was made clear what was expected of me in all tasks and as Mercer assigns all summer interns a buddy, I always had someone to ask questions.

My colleagues were all willing to spend time explaining new tasks to me and additionally Mercer provide a number of online training programmes to work through during the internship to increase both the knowledge of the company and of how to use different programmes. A internship training day was also held at the beginning of the 8 week placement which covered the basic knowledge we would be required to know.

Mercer is definately the company I hope to work for after I finish university. Graduate job offers have not been made to summer interns yet.

A variety of events were organised during my time in the office, including lunches, nights out and a cocktail masterclass.

The office is located in the city centre so travel costs were not a big expense and there is a range of bars and restaurants in the area which cater for all budgets.

Large variety of restaurants and bars in the surrounding area.

Interns are encouraged to be involved in all social events throughout their time at the company and additionally i was invited to attend events before and after my placement.