Lloyd's of London Apprentice Review

My role can change on a weekly basis and no two days are ever the same on my placement. I am moving around the departments including, CSU, UK, claims, Finpro, Marine and Cat Modelling. I do not have a specific job title but I use 'Lloyd's Apprentice' as my signature in emails (due to moving around the company so regularly). Daily tasks can be from completing QA's for the underwriters to attending meetings with brokers. Daily interactions are always changing from back office admin staff to claims adjusters. My responsibilities and projects at work are continuously changing which gives me a wide variety of opportunities.

I have completed my IF1 and am taking my IF2 exam in a few weeks to help towards completing my certificate in insurance. I hope to take another exam (maybe IF3) in the coming months and also start my diploma in October. I have attended a number of internal training courses whilst on placement in the insurance market and attend regular internal training courses within the Lloyd's Corporation. As well as exam training courses we also attend soft skills training courses that develop our interpersonal and presentation skills. The amount of information I have learnt over the past few months has been incredible. Not only have doing exams and attending courses helped my development but the day to day work also has a huge impact.

I have enjoyed this programme from the word go. The work we undertake is always changing and the challenges and tasks we face stretch our skills everyday. The apprentice team are very close as a group and that helps us to work together on Lloyd's projects and socialise around the market (introducing each other to different people). Being out on placement means that the company culture that we face changes on a monthly basis and so we were always interacting and meeting different people. The programme has met and exceeded my expectations. University was a option for me but being on this programme was definitely the best decision I could have made and I wouldn't look back now.

I feel extremely valued by Lloyd's of London. We work with the marketing team and HR team on a regular basis to help promote the apprenticeship and attend regular events that the corporation holds. We have also had the opportunity to meet various people from Lloyd's including the CEO on our first day and we had a lunch and produced a film with the Chairman.

Our programme is extremely well structured. Our induction was four weeks long with training sessions, team building exercises and work experience within the corporation. The next four months we all separated into the market for a broker placement, followed by a thirteen month placement in a managing agents. Mostly all of the apprentices have been in different placements around the market which subsequently has helped us to create a bigger and wider network. Our studying plan has been tailored to each apprentice depending on how quickly or slowly each individual would like to complete their exams, with monthly meetings with our assessor to monitor how we are getting on.

We receive support from our training provider on a daily basis if needed. Our advisor is on hand everyday if we need help and meets with us every month to discuss our progression. We have our advisors number on hand and email address so she is always there to guide us through any problems that we face and she also marks our practice papers for our exams. She is always willing to help us and her general attitude is always positive and willing.

The HR team are always there if we need any advise or assistance. Our mentors ensure that they are always on hand to answer our questions and help us if we have a problem or query. Accessibility of support is wide in range from phone calls, emails, or going over to the corporation in person. The general attitude from Lloyd's is always that they are there to guide and help us whenever we need it.

We earn a good salary compared to most apprentices. Lloyd's will always provide a travel loan (repayable on a monthly basis) and the packages that you can sign on to as an employee is definitely one of the best with regards to apprenticeships, for example, health, discounts on food and drink and also discounts in London stores who provide this is Lloyd's employees.

There are always events going on in the market that we can sign up to as Lloyd's employees. London Links or under 35's networks are just two examples of social nights that take place. We also conduct our own events as apprentices, with the Lloyd's graduates and have already started to socialise with the other insurance apprentices in London. Company events, like sports teams, are available in the Lloyd's Corporation to take part in and also groups that we come across on our placements. The location of Lloyd's is ideal and we are never short of places to go for lunch or after work. There are a lot of gyms around as well as a number of tourist attractions to see, for example, the Tower of London is just down the road. When the apprentices aren't working you will probably find us in the Lloyd's café, bar or eating around London. We are a very sociable group and this is helped by the network that exists in the insurance market.

Yes

Lloyd's of London is a great place to work. Everyone is so helpful, encouraging and is always on hand to help you out. Lloyd's is the only insurance market in the world and I am still amazed when I go into the underwriting room at the buzz that exists there. There is always a lively atmosphere and you are always bumping into people that you know. There are only around 900 Lloyd's employees around the world (compared to some global corporations that is relatively small) and so there is plenty of opportunities to meet, get to know and socialise with people of all walks of life.

Make sure you do your research and try to understand that Lloyd's is not an insurance company (or a bank). When filling out the online application make sure you fill in all of the boxes and answer every question as well as you can. Don't just say your good at something or you have a certain skill, use examples of how you show that you have these skills. For example, you may say that you are a good team leader or like working in a team. You can show that you are good at this because you are captain of a sports team and encourage the players to do well while playing a match. For the phone interview make sure you are in a quiet location and just relax, the telephone interviewers are always lovely and they want to help you. If you don't have experience in insurance don't worry. Just make sure you use the interview process to get across why insurance is a career choice you want to pursue. Just be yourself and don't panic, remember everyone else is in the same position as you.