This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I really enjoyed the experience, it was a great insight into actuarial work and I learnt a lot.
The office was quite busy while I was there and it was clear that my work was appreciated.
Everyone was keen and happy to help, and always tried to explain the overall purpose of a task as well as what I actually had to do to further my understanding.
There was always work so I could keep busy. I was expected to manage my own workflow and ask around the office if I had little to do. Everyone was keen though that I shouldn't be overworked.
I was given work I was responsible for from the start, being left to mostly learn through asking questions. Everyone expected me to get things wrong and as a result I learnt very quickly from my mistakes.
There was little overlap in the work with my maths degree, but I learnt a lot about pensions which can help in my future career. I also developed many general office skills like report writing and working with spreadsheets.
The Company
The atmosphere in the office was lovely. Being a fairly small department, with people taking study days and holidays, it could get quite quiet. There was always someone in that I could talk to and ask for help though.
The application process was very quick and straightforward and the placement itself well organised.
Training was mostly on the job and through talking to people in the office.
Subsidised Canteen
I was delighted to be offered a graduate job and look forward to starting next autumn.
The Culture
I went out for drinks on a few occasions with colleagues, it was great to get to know everyone outside the office.
I had accommodation in the city for my university anyway, so it was cheap to stay there, but the area can be quite expensive.
Bristol is a brilliant city with plenty of choice for Nightlife.
All the opportunities were social such as drinks while I was there, but I got the impression there would be more sport or volunteering opportunities if I joined the company for a longer time.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Actuary
South West
August 2014