What degree are you studying for?

Actuarial Science at the University of York

What attracted you to Pacific Life Re?

While looking for jobs for my placement, I was certain of one thing – it had to be in London. Other than that, I wasn’t sure what I wanted from a company, but when I attended the Assessment Centre for Pacific Life Re I knew this was where I wanted to work. The office has a positive and young feel – everyone is very friendly and welcoming, and it was clear they enjoy working here. Additionally, a strong infrastructure around the internship involving training and support filled me with confidence that this was a great workplace.

Describe your job responsibilities and share which aspects you enjoy the most

I’m in the Europe protection reporting team. Within this team, we produce quarterly results on reserves and profitability of the protection line of business. To support this, I use spreadsheets and run processes to generate the results, and then further analysis and verification are performed to ensure we’re happy with the figures. Outside of quarter end, I take part in additional analysis of results, model testing and implementations. The mix between quarterly reporting and other ad hoc tasks provides a good balance between process-driven and analysis/investigative-driven work.

What are the three most important or surprising things you’ve learned here?

• As an intern starting in the industry, I was unsure how much responsibility and flexibility I would have. Since joining Pacific Life Re, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how much I’m trusted to get on with my work, including hybrid working and alternating between working from home and the office.  However, even with this independence, support is still available when needed.
• When I first joined I had minimal Excel skills, and I was surprised at how much it was used in the day-to-day tasks I performed. This led me to develop my Excel skills significantly, which I can take away with me and apply in the future.
• The third surprising thing I’ve learnt at Pacific Life Re is the value of teamwork – within teams and throughout the company. There’s a heavy reliance on teamwork to generate quarterly reporting results and meet all our deadlines, and there’s also interdependence between other teams throughout the company.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

When I’m not working, I try to make the most of living in London. Going to see West End shows such as Frozen and Moulin Rouge is a must, even if you don’t love musical theatre! There are many classic tourist spots to see while in London, which I’m slowly making my way through. My favourite places so far have been the markets, despite how busy they are.

What’s the best thing about working here?

One of my favourite things about working at Pacific Life Re is the social aspect. Social events have provided an excellent opportunity to get to know my colleagues on a more personal level and feel appreciated and rewarded for the work I’ve done. Pacific Life Re is a really enjoyable place to work.