Summer Intern Review

It was at times a very frustrating experience. I was not able to contribute much to my team due to a skills mismatch. I was not able to help my team with their main duties due to the nature of their work, which meant that I was not able to get as much out of the placement as I hoped I would.

My team was doing its best to make me part of the team, however my participation in their daily routine was limited. Otherwise the team was very friendly and included me in their social activities.

My line manager was easy going and supportive initially but during busy periods it became difficult for him to spend the required time with me and it seemed like I was given duties to simple keep me occupied with something to do.

A large part of the work I was involved with was repetitive and uninteresting. I often had periods in which I was waiting for a process to finish before I could continue with my work which meant that I had time to read a number of training materials which were not directly related to my work.

Very little. There was some minor responsibility over a project which was not a priority overall for the team and as such went largely unnoticed.

I was exposed to some data manipulation software packages which advanced my understanding of how to interpret vast amounts of data. Apart from that there were some limited opportunities to see some theoretical concepts from my degree in practice.

The general atmosphere was quite relaxed. People generally minded their own projects but would stop for a chat for time to time.

Throughout my internship it was unclear what exactly the expectations were of me, in the sense of my responsibilities and duties. While such freedom is at times a positive thing, in this case it translated into a question of what the purpose of my placement was.

Apart from a few days of activities for interns, there was little in terms of a structured continuous development structure for interns. If you wanted to find something out about a certain part of the business, you had to very much organise it yourself.

As an employer they seem to be doing a good job. Most people I came in contact with liked being there and many have been there for some time, indicating how content people were with Allianz. It also seemed like Allianz offered a good work/life balance and support for personal development. However for me personally, I am not convinced that a career with them would be for me, as I look to be intellectually challenged within a demanding and dynamic environment, something which I was not able to find at least in the area that I was in. I do recognise the opportunities that Allianz UK can offer as a company which is seeking to expand and grow in addition to being part of the global Allianz family but nevertheless this is something which I believe is not exclusive to Allianz and can be found within other companies in the industry as well.

I think this is something that was going very well during my internship. My team included me in their social activites from the start and as interns we organised fun activities after hours.

The cost of living was affordable in the area, especially when you factor in the given pay.

Quite cheesy to be honest. Neverthless it was the people you would go out with which made the night great anyway so the venues should be seen as seconday.

We had some sports events planned for after work but in the end only one event every materialised. It was quite fun and it would have been great if more had happened. Otherwise there was nothing in terms of community volunteering or similar activities.