Pensions Actuarial Summer Student Review

I loved every aspect of my internship (except the 9-5!). I felt that I was given responsibility from day 1, which was surprising as I had no previous experience so I didn't expect to be trusted with very much to begin with. I felt truly welcomed by the team, they involved me in their conversations, explained things clearly, and invited me along to social events after work. I didn't feel like I was an intern, I felt as though it was my proper job, as that is how was treated. Doing this internship has made me sure that this is the career that I am going to pursue in the future!

I was given real client work from my first day. Every job I was given was explained to me and whenever I had any questions about what to do, or where I was going wrong, my colleagues were always willing to help out. Every member of the team that I worked with was very welcoming and understanding, it was nice that they didn't get frustrated by all my questions! I was always given feedback on my work, and if any mistakes had been made, the team were always happy to talk over why it was wrong and how it could have been improved. The team took the time to get to know me as a friend, not just as a colleague.

The internship is the perfect combination of structured and flexible. You are given tasks and projects that you have to complete over the course of your internship but you are given the responsibility to allocate the time to these tasks to ensure they are completed on time. There was a mid programme review in which I got official feedback on how I was getting on with the internship, and my thoughts were valued in this. My mentor and supervisor were always on hand to help me if I needed it, and to answer any questions I had about the company as well as about the work.

Alongside the mandatory tasks for the internship, you are also given client work which means that some days are busier than others. At the start of each week there is a jobs meeting with the rest of the team where everybody goes through the jobs they have to do that week, and if you are quite quiet that week you can take jobs off others who are busier. I really liked this approach to work management as it really builds upon the fact that you work together as a team. There was never a moment during my internship where I felt I had nothing to do. If there wasn't very much client work for me to do one day, I would use that time to do some project work. However, I found that there were always new, interesting jobs and projects for me to get involved in.

From day one I was doing work for clients. This meant that the clients were being charged for the time I spent on these jobs therefore it was important to complete them in an efficient manner, while maintaining a high level of accuracy. This to me felt like quite a big responsibility for somebody who had no industry experience but it was very rewarding. I was given a very wide range of work, and was given the opportunity to work on several large projects which are still going on. I had the opportunity to work in different areas of the company and it was great to see how it all fit in. Day to day it was my responsibility to manage my time, ask insightful questions and ensure that I had everything I needed to get the job done.

My communication skills have greatly improved over the period of my internship, in particular my letter writing and report writing skills. I have learnt a huge amount about the industry which I will carry through my adult life, and which I will hopefully build upon in my career. Completing the 8 week intern project has improved my time management skills, as I had to make the time to work on my project, while at the same time ensuring I meet client deadlines. These time management skills will be very useful for my degree studies, especially when it comes to revision time!

The atmosphere in the office made coming to work enjoyable. Being an actuary requires a lot of hard work and no two days are the same. Despite this, everybody in the office was always happy. There was always laughter, people having a conversation, but working hard at the same time. If there was ever a problem, everybody within the team would be willing to help out in any way they could, there is a real team spirit in the office. There also seemed to be a constant supply of sweets, chocolate and cake which always helped to boost morale!!

The internship struck a perfect balance between structured and flexible. There was a two day induction period at the start which was attended by the summer interns from all of the offices around the UK where the process of the internship was explained. We were also told about the company, the career, and were told what was expected of us over the next 8 weeks. This was a great opportunity to learn about the company, and also to make acquaintance with the other interns. We all got on really well and are still in contact. There was a mid programme review and a final review where you could talk about your performance over the internship and talk about any aspects of work you may need to improve on. These meetings were also used to assess how much progress you were making with your tasks and projects and to make sure that you were on target.

The firm invested far more time and effort in me that I could ever have wished for. I was exposed to a very wide range of client work which meant that I got to experience many of the different jobs that an actuary does. Whenever I had a question or wanted to find out more about any aspect of work or the company everybody was very open to answering my questions. At the start of the internship there were small training sessions for me, run by different members of the team, where I was trained on how to carry out certain calculations, write certain reports, as well as training about pensions in general. This training was of great use to me over the course of my internship. There were also some compulsory tasks which I had to complete during my internship which improved my skills in areas such as communication, Excel, letter writing, and presenting. These are all skills which I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It seemed important to the firm that not only could I do the job, but that I understood why I was doing what I was doing which I enjoyed as it feel as though I learnt a huge amount.

I enjoyed every aspect of my internship so I was very keen to work within in the industry and even more keen to work for Barnett Waddingham. I graduated from University this summer and I was thrilled when I was offered a full time graduate job starting in September, following on from my internship. I can't wait to be a full time member of the team and to progress in such a brilliant environment.

I was the only placement student, however this didn't seem to matter. Everyone on the team gets on really well. There is a social committee who organise social events which are always attended by virtually the whole team (including the partners!) and are always really good fun. During my internship, we went out for drinks after work on several occasions, went out to lunch in local restaurants as a team, went out for meals after work and played mini golf. There was a firm-wide football tournament which due to graduation I was unable to attend but have heard that it was a very enjoyable day. The social committee are also in the process of organising many other events such as going to Oktoberfest in Liverpool, a firm-wide Christmas party held in Wembley stadium, and a weekend away to Dublin!

I rented a room in short term accommodation. The cost of my rent including bills was £470 a month, but had I looked around a bit more I could have found somewhere which was better value. The cost of socialising in Liverpool is very low, which meant that I could easily afford to do everything that I wanted to do using the money I was earning from my internship.

The Nightlife in Liverpool is like no other. There is something for everyone, from massive clubs like Level, to karaoke bars, quirky bars, posh cocktail bars with roof terraces overlooking the river. There is even a karaoke tuck-tuck that drives around the streets of Liverpool. Liverpool is known for its Nightlife and is filled every weekend with groups of people on weekends away, hen parties and stag parties. It is also worth noting that Liverpool at night is an extremely safe city which means you can have fun without having to worry too much! Its also super cheap and good value!

There is an organisation called Young Professionals Liverpool who organise loads of different social events which any young professional in the Liverpool area is welcome to attend. These meet ups are a great way of meeting new people and due to the sheer volume of events there really is something for everyone. Aside from that, Liverpool is host to a huge amount of culture and history so there are loads of museums and events going on to visit and get involved with. If you're a bit of a foodie like me, the restaurant scheme in Liverpool is unbeatable. Every week there is a new independent café, restaurant or bar opening up, and the range, quality and value of the food available is fantastic.