Retirement Analyst - Intern Review
at WTW
Internship (1 Month+)
Actuary
Bristol
Review Submitted: August 2023
Overall Rating
4.8 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
4.8/5
-
Skills Development
5/5
-
Support and Guidance
4.8/5
-
Company Culture
5/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
For the first 4 weeks we would take part in training. This was also alongside client work which I felt very included in early on which was great. Weeks 5-8 were primarily client work focused with a background task of a group presentation project ever present. This was a nice balance between doing actual work and being able to work with fellow interns from other offices to create a presentation on a given topic (mine was on climate change).
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
I was given lots of responsibility during the internship, as you are given client work pretty much from day 1. It is not an uncomfortable amount of responsibility, as all of your work is checked (like they would to any colleague) multiple times before being sent out to clients. It is good experience working with clients early on, as you feel that what you are learning in the training is actually applicable to day to day tasks.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
4/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
I felt that teamwork and numerical skills were greatly improved. My excel skills are much superior to when I started as this is the primary tool used day to day on the job. Other job specific skills such as calculating annuities and present values were of course greatly improved, but these will definitely be transferable to other careers and job opportunities. Colleagues are more than happy to help you out when you are stuck and will help you to develop new skills.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
4/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
There is a wide team to support you when you are unsure on any work - client or training. I never felt unable to ask colleagues for help, as everyone was very supportive and understanding of any challenges that I faced. The training in the opening weeks was invaluable to the client work, and the instructors are more than happy to help you during or after the training sessions even if you are in a different office location.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
General atmosphere was very inviting, with post work drinks and summer socials being organised. As interns we even got to plan and throw the summer social which makes getting integrated into the team easy. Everyone just acted as normal, decent people who actually want to help you with your work. You can work at home 2 days a week if you would like to; although, I found that coming into the office was preferable for myself as I like to be face to face.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
4/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I loved working here and will be keeping in contact with several coworkers after I go back to uni. The work was rewarding and enjoyable and the skills that I learned will be useful whether I come back here or not. The company culture allows for new members of the team to quickly fit in and will miss not coming here to work. An small but demonstrative example of the company culture is people baking treats on our last day as a token for us leaving.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at WTW
5/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend WTW to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to WTW
I would advise people to look at all of the offices that are available, as there are multiple GB and international offices that will take on interns+. I would also advise that candidates research what types of pension schemes there are, especially defined benefit (DB) schemes, and to a lesser extent defined contribution (DC) schemes. Candidates might also what to research CDC schemes and have an understanding of the exams that they will take if they choose to pursue being an actuary as a career.
