Actuarial and Investment Consultant Intern Review
at Barnett Waddingham LLP
Internship (1 Month+)
Actuary, Investment Banking
Cheltenham
Review Submitted: July 2022
Overall Rating
5 /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!
5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
5/5
-
Support and Guidance
5/5
-
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.
The internship consists of a rotation between both the actuarial and investment teams. Work typically consists of producing investment monitoring reports, reviewing investment managers, conducting actuarial valuations and producing cash equivalent transfer values for scheme members.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
BW provide you with initial training before throwing you into the deep-end. You are immediately given significant responsibility, completing your own projects, messaging senior staff members and contacting external clients. You truly feel like you are contributing to the success of the firm, rather than being given meaningless tasks.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
5/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
The work primarily involves using Excel and BW's systems, such as V8. IT skills are picked up quickly on the internship. Communication is also key, with significant work being done in conjunction with other team members.
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
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
BW has an extremely supportive culture. You are assigned a mentor (a graduate) who is there to help provide centralised training videos and materials. Your mentor also is there to help with any questions that you have when completing work. Senior team members frequently check up on you, and you can go to anyone within the team for support, without feeling like an inconvenience. People are truly happy to help you learn.
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?
The company culture is extremely friendly and open. Despite formal job titles, there does not seem to be a social hierarchy. There are numerous social events happening outside of the office, from meals out at lunch to drinks after work. There is also a netball and football tournament with all of the offices meeting to compete, followed by a night out after-this is great fun and well attended.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
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 have thoroughly enjoyed the internship, it has provided a deep insight into a career in the actuarial/investment industry. The internship has surpassed my expectations and I would love to return if offered a graduate job.
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 Barnett Waddingham LLP
5/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Barnett Waddingham LLP to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Barnett Waddingham LLP
Make sure to thoroughly research the pensions industry, as few people know much about this before gaining the exposure through an internship. The assessment centre seems daunting but they mainly want to assess your social skills and ability to work as a team, given that a large proportion of work as you progress is in consulting.
