Actuarial Summer Student Review

It was really enjoyable. The work was very varied, which was great since it enabled us to gain a better understand of what working for the company on a full-time basis would include. The whole office was exceptionally welcoming too, which made it very easy to join in conversations and take part in and have fun at any socials events.

I felt that my colleagues did value my input and welcomed any input by me. This was confirmed by feedback sessions at the middle and end of our internship, at which it was made clear that we were really encouraged to engage with the work and contribute to discussions.

Support and guidance was not just limited to our supervisor/mentor. Everyone in the office was happy to help, which made it easier to get to know a range of people beyond our supervisor/mentor. Halfway through the internship we changed seats, moving away from our mentors, and there was just as much support and encouragement from the colleagues we sat next to for the second half of the internship.

We typically had a number of tasks on our to do list. There were only a couple of times when my to do list looked a little short; however, I was kept busy regardless because we had an on-going project, which culminated in a 30 minute presentation at the end of the internship, on which to focus. I didn't end up browsing the internet or other sorts of things for want of more work to do.

This may sound silly but we were given the opportunity to make mistakes, so we were given a good amount of responsibility in that respect. Our work was of course checked over by more experienced staff but we were always allowed to have a good go at it ourselves and then discuss and get feedback on any mistakes we had made.

Having graduated, I can certainly say that my degree helped in understanding the tasks I was given during the internship but I cannot say whether returning to my degree after the internship would have improved my university studies. If I am offered a job off the back of this internship, it will certainly help in my future since we were not hidden away from the work that firm carries out on a day-to-day basis.

Everybody was very friendly and easy to get along with. Whilst people tended to work hard, there was always scope for a laugh during the day and lunch breaks were always good fun.

From my perspective, everything ran smoothly and, as I said in a previous answer, we were kept busy with engaging work so it was certainly well organised in that respect.

The firm did not neglect to offer us training since we were interns at all. We were invited to all of the training sessions offered to the recent graduate students and were provided with a number of training sessions directed just at us.

The idea of working for the organisation in the future is very appealing. The rating scale for this question is a little misleading though - my rating is to say I would happily work for them as a graduate in the future but we do not hear whether we get the job or not for a few more days.

Everyone was willing to get involved socially throughout the 8 weeks. We went out for a number of lunches and nights out. I played for the office cricket team and people were always willing to go to the pub afterwards. There was a company-wide football event, which was a lot of fun. There were also events that I did not attend, such as a golf day and a walking weekend, which shows that there is something for everyone and if you want to organise something people will probably come!

I luckily lived with my cousins and had free accommodation; however, being in London the accommodation and going out costs are higher than most places. At social events, however, people were always fairly generous with buying drinks and at the office-wide football event there was a tab behind the bar.

As we were in London, it was very good.

Yes, plenty - as mentioned, I attended a firm-wide football competition and I played for the office cricket team throughout the internship. There were also events such as a golf day and I know they do more events throughout the year, including weekends away to cities around Europe and walking weekends etc. Most importantly I guess is that if you are willing to organise something, the odds are that someone will want to join in and do it!