Investment Analyst Review

Overall the job was really enjoyable. The work was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. I got exposed to a wide variety of tasks a new starting graduate would be expected to do. I was trusted with the my own workload and even was given my own client list to perform investment performance reports for. I was also given a large project which I was given complete control over. I also didn’t realise how many investment managers would visit and give presentations on their new investment funds. Whenever a manager visits it is the normal for them to take the team out for drinks and sometimes treat them to a meal at one of Liverpool’s finest restaurants. All the people who work there were so friendly and did their best to make you fit in. To welcome new starters the whole office goes out for lunch together which is a great opportunity to chat and get to know everyone in a relaxed atmosphere.

To be honest before I started I thought most of the time I would be making tea for the consultants but they were really good with me and gave me plenty of tasks. Workload for consultants tends to fluctuate and so when deadlines were tight they would often trust me with some of their client work which shows they had a lot of confidence in me.

I have to say that Mercer is brilliant for the support they have for their summer interns and their graduates. Not only did I have a buddy who joined a year ago but I was also given a Personal Development Advisory (PDA) who was one of the experienced consultants. My PDA talked to me in private on a weekly basis to make sure I was ok and my buddy was there for more everyday queries. Although I had these two people to go to if my problem was client based I would just go to the client's consultant who was always willing to help.

Well the first week was not busy at all as I was still finding my feet and learning about what investment consultants actually do. But after the first week I always had work to do and if I finished a job I would just send a group email out asking if there was any other work that needed doing and there always was. I think I was only rushed off my feet one day out of the two months I work there and that was because of a lack of judging my workload.

The further into my placement the more responsibility I was given. I was given my own clients to produce quarterly investment reports for and my project was checked once on the Monday of my last week. There was no one looking over my shoulder but if I was unsure about anything I knew I could ask.

I really think I learn more in the two months I worked at mercer than in my first two years at university. Gaining industrial experience in investment consulting gave me exposure to the worlds leading investment fund managers and the type of investments they offer. My summer placement was a brilliant experience which I honestly really enjoyed. I got experience with working in industry with a group of extremely friendly people and got paid a wage that was higher than many of the other summer internships out there. I was also lucky enough to be offered a graduate place for when I finished University. I of course accepted the offer.

The office was very welcoming and extremely friendly. Not a bad word to say about them

The placement scheme was very well organised. Before I was sent on an induction few days at a very nice leeds hotel. All the interns from Pensions and Investments attended. Mercer paid for everything and given paid for us all to go out to the bars in the city centre. I was given a booklet to keep updating as i went through the internship. At the end of the placement Mercer paid for the interns to go to london for the day. This was really good as i got to see everyone I met in leeds and chat about how they found the internship. Mercer also paid for a guided tour around the tower of london to thank us which was really nice.

Every so often they hold tutorials around lunch time which anyone can do. They send you an email with the slides on and they have speakers that talk you through them over the phone. The induction few days told us a lot about the company and the invesment consulting industry and also teaching us how to use the computer software.

Very. Mercer pay for you to first obtain your Invesment Management Certificate (normally obtained within the first 9 months) and then either gain Chartered Financial Analyst qualification (normally 3-4 years) or Acturial qualification (normally 4-5 years)

I think we had someting social most weeks. Whether it was an ivnesment manager taking us out for drinks or food or just a team lunch in one of the nice resturantes in the area.

Well its in the centre of liverpool so living is expensive. In terms of socialising over the time I spent there I cant remember buying one drink all of them were bought for me. In terms of living, you may have to rent one of the apartments near by which are really nice. They are expensive but the salary you get easily covers it.

The night life is good. I have been out in a few cities when visiting mates at other universities and liverpool is one of the best to go out in.

Yeh. Football is on a wednesday night which is good to get involved in.