Intern in Finex Review

To repeat the old addage: it is very much an experience where you get out what you put in. If you are proactive and speak to as many people as possible, then you will learn a great deal and develop some useful contacts. It was the opportunity to do that that I especially enjoyed. As insurance is ultimately a people business, this is an important skill to have and one that will enable you to get as much out of the experience as possible.

Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. People were willing to share their experiences and go for coffee/lunch. The head of my team went out of his way to arrange for me to sit on a number of Lloyds, London boxes. This gave me an excellent opportunity to view the industry from both the Broking and Underwriting perspectives.

We were supervised closely for the first few weeks. However, after that we were given free reign to select a team and keep ourselves occupied. This was a good balance as it gave us the opportunity to seek help, when needed, but also the freedom to learn whatever you wanted to about the company and the industry. In my team, I was able

We were working a 9-5 and the workload was perfectly manageable. All of our deadlines were reasonable.

Obviously we had little experience in insurance, and weren't qualified to really contribute. Our tasks tended to be reasonably well monitored.

I learned a great deal about the insurance industry. This experience certainly helped to confirm that I would enjoy a career within the industry. Although we didn't develop many technical skills that will aid us in our future career. The internship served well as an insight.

There are some real characters in the insurance industry, so there was a generally friendly and jovial atmosphere. However, insurance is a very conservative industry, so if you're expecting a quirky workplace then you won't find it here.

This was the first year that the internship was run, so I imagine that it will develop a great deal over the next few years. There was certainly the possibility to cruise along and get very little out of the experience. However, this is one of the strengths of the process, as it puts a real impetus on you to meet with people and mould the internship to achieve what you hope to achieve.

We had a number of "luch and learn" sessions which were very useful in terms of building our knowledge about the industry and the company. However, we recieved little technical training. Although this depended very much on the department that you were placed in. Reinsurance is far more technical and therefore, those in Willis Re recieved extensive technical training. Other departments were more laid back and you developed by watching brokers work and by asking questions.

I am still waiting to hear if they will offer a job. However, if offered a place I can see a future in insurance. There are good opportunities for training and career advancement (if you are good). Although, progression does take time and hard work and that is something you have to accept if you embark on a career in insurance.

We went out a couple of times. But rarely with all the interns. It tended to be smaller groups going for drinks after work.

London is very expensive so you have to be prepared for that. It wasn't prohibitive though.

There are plenty of bars around the area so there was no shortage of nightlife if you were up for it.

It would have been better to have a few more organised activities. Generally it was much less formal and you were left to organise these things for yourself.