Retirement Actuarial Internship 2021

With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 45,000 employees serving more than 140 countries.

Willis Towers Watson is the leading provider of retirement consulting and actuarial services to today’s global organisations, providing actuarial services to more of the world’s top 300 pension funds than any other company. In the UK and Europe, we are the undisputed leader, advising 75 of the FTSE 100 companies.  We also advise small and mid-sized schemes, with the range of clients providing our colleagues with a broad range of opportunities. Our enviable client list covers a very wide range of companies including household names, financial institutions and charities.

We partner with clients around the globe to determine the best approaches to pension scheme design, funding, governance, administration and communication.

The Team

The Retirement team works with trustees and sponsors of occupational pension schemes. We advise on both defined contribution (“DC”) and defined benefit (“DB”) schemes: our intern vacancies are within the DB team. The DB team helps our clients with all aspects of managing a pension scheme, from regular triennial valuation work, to cutting edge risk-reduction and scheme design projects. We often work closely with our colleagues in other teams, such as DC, investment, communications and administration, to provide joined-up advice to our clients. We work in partnership with our clients to help them to manage the potentially substantial risks involved with retirement benefit provision and to ensure that their benefits meet the needs of all stakeholders.

The Retirement team is the largest recruiter of graduates in Willis Towers Watson’s Human Capital and Benefits Line of Business.  

The Role 

*** Please note that we do not accept multiple applications and you should only select and apply to one programme per year***

Our Intern Programme is designed for penultimate year university students.  It is currently expected that the duration of the internship will be 8 weeks, but this may be subject to review depending on the working situation nearer the time. 

In 2020 our Intern Programme was run virtually, since all of our UK colleagues were working from home.  The 2021 Intern Programme may also be run virtually or may have virtual elements, again depending on the situation at that time.

An internship at Willis Towers Watson will give you valuable real-world experience. It will enable you to apply your education in an environment that is both intellectually challenging and rewarding. At the end of your time with us, you will have a greater understanding of what we do and how closely our career offerings match your career ambitions.

You will be treated in the same way as our new trainee consultants, receiving the same quality and quantity of work. It is the perfect opportunity to understand what you could expect if you joined our trainee consultant programme the following year, and many of our interns return as permanent team members following graduation.

As an intern in the Retirement team, you’ll need good numerical and communication skills, the ability to plan work effectively and a strong desire to solve challenging, technical problems. You’ll develop consulting skills so that you can help clients understand and manage their pension risks.

Trainee consultants and interns at Willis Towers Watson benefit from all the resources and opportunities that a large company can provide, but this doesn’t come at the cost of individuality. You will have the opportunity to work alongside some of the leading figures in the pensions industry and also to be recognised for your personal contribution.

Regardless of which of our offices you join, you’ll be part of the bigger Willis Towers Watson community, and will be able to contribute to our fundraising and community activities, as well as our sporting and social groups (many of which have continued while colleagues have been working from home). We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment, enriched by our people, our clients, and the communities in which we work and live.