Stuart Kaye joined the ABI as a Public Affairs intern in May 2016. Stuart shares what drew him to the internship at the ABI and what he learned from his internship.
I found out about the ABI public affairs internship during my final year at university. For me it combined two areas that I was really interested in, politics and finance, and it seemed like a great start to a future career in either area.
The interview process consisted of a written assessment which was discussed at the start of my interview and a formal interview with two members of the Public Affairs team and a member of the HR team. The written assessment was a great chance to demonstrate the skills I had built up during my time at university and also an opportunity to begin the interview on the front foot, discussing my answer and giving some extra research that I had done. The interview itself was fine with the kind of questions you would expect for a competitive role but provided you have prepared well and are able to draw upon your experience there shouldn’t be any surprises.
The internship has definitely outdone my expectations. The great thing about working at the trade body for the industry is that you have the ability to attend meetings and events with senior executives and leaders from companies across insurance. The ABI is also a very streamlined organisation so as the public affairs intern you are given responsibility from the outset and encouraged to attend meetings and events in Parliament and liaise with politicians and their offices.
It has certainly been a steep learning curve, not least because since I have joined the ABI the political landscape has changed completely with the UK exiting the EU and a new Government, but this means that from the outset you are an important part of the team and are able to work on a really wide range of tasks from briefings for MPs to arranging parliamentary receptions. This has allowed me to constantly pick up new skills and learn about a range of areas. As a member of the Public Affairs team you also work with every team in the ABI which provides a great breath of knowledge and the chance to work with a range of really skilled and knowledgeable people.
It’s also a really fun place to work with a collaborative approach and lots to do outside of the office. Overall it has been an amazing experience and I would certainly encourage people to apply for the role. If you’re successful my only advice would be to begin enthusiastically and make the most of it from the outset.
If you would to be our next Intern and gain valuable experience in a varied and engaging role, apply now: http://bit.ly/2dBxYKI