Summer Analyst Review

I really enjoyed the placement as it gave me the opportunity to see the daily tasks that an Actuarial Consultant gets involved with. This experience gave me a great in depth insight into the pensions industry and allowed me to work on different client projects with a variety of different Actuarial Teams within the firm.

All the teams i worked with were great! I really felt like i was contributing to real client work and felt appreciated for the work i did for them. Everybody were there to take time out and help me understand concepts i was stuck on and they really made an effort to ensure that i enjoyed my time in the office.

My Internship leader, team leader and mentor were always there when i needed help. I had regular catch-up sessions, performance reviews and check ups to ensure i fully understood everything and to assist me with anything i had doubts or problems about. My mentor and project leader were very supportive as they helped monitor my progress and provided me with great advice when needed.

I was kept very busy. I concentrated mainly on client work such as completing transfer values, summary funding statements and drafting e-mails but alongside this i had a summer project to complete which was very demanding and kept me busy.

I was given a lot of responsibility especially when it came to doing client work. This really depended on how much you were willing to take on but i was able to get involved with a variety of different tasks and never felt too overwhelmed with the work as there was always somebody to help.

I believe i have developed various practical and analytical skills which will be invaluable to me in the future. I was able to attend various training sessions, work with different client teams and undertake an individual project. This allowed me to work on my team working, communication and problem solving skills. This will allow me to better understand what is required to become an Actuary and has allowed me to be more prepared for work in my degree studies and beyond.

The atmosphere was great! All my colleagues were very friendly and there was never a dull moment. Everybody was very sociable and welcoming alongside having such an open atmosphere.

The structure and organisation of the work placement was great. I had an organised time table and induction pack entailing all the training sessions and tasks i was going to be involved in throughout the 8 weeks alongside keeping in touch with the HR team about my progress.

The actuarial team invested a lot of time ensuring that i understood the different tasks and client work i was involved in. In addition, i had a learning log where i filled out various skills i had displayed to help see my progress. There were monthly meet ups to discuss my strengths and weaknesses and how i can improve for the future. A lot of the training took place when dealing with client work but again there was always somebody there to help teach and assist me with what the job entails and how to do it.

I would love to take up the opportunity to join the Hymans Team, if offered employment within the company.

The social scene was great on Fridays and after work.

I was commuting everyday which was expensive but since we were in Birmingham, all other expenditures were reasonable.

Very good night life with various bars and clubs not far away.

Yes, lunches and friday night drinks.