Apprentice Broker Review

As an apprentice broker, my day to day tasks currently (having been here around 6 months) include ones similar to qualified broker, however on a simpler scale. I started off doing admin for other brokers, for example endorsements etc. Now I have been given more responsibilities, for example I am now handling small accounts with assistance from my colleagues if need be.

On the apprenticeship scheme at Aon, we are set to complete our Cert CII (insurance qualifications). I have gained a lot of knowledge from the textbooks and resources provided by Aon during my apprenticeship. Although the books can be long winded and slightly drab (all black and white text) they do prove useful in gaining wider knowledge about the job role and insruance market. In addition to the mandatory qualifications, I have also learned a lot day-to-day from my colleagues. In ust 6 months, I have progressed to handling tasks that a qualified broker would do on a day to day basis.

I have enjoyed the apprenticeship programme at Aon. The first two weeks we were staying with other apprentices from all the different offcies which was exciting as it gave us the chance to meet a lot of new people. We are also provided now and throughout our programme with support from an assigned talent coach who we meet with regularly. This programme has exceeded my expectations as I didn't expect it to be so thorough and well thought out. They definitely keep us on board with regular emails and updates and keep track of our progression.

Internally, I get a lot of appreciation from my manager and other colleagues. He is always ready to answer any questions, help me at any time and gives me recognition when I have suceeded or exeeded in my tasks. Externally, apprentices as a whole get recognition by running 'Apprentice of the year' etc. as a motivator and to keep us all involved. I always feel included as I am kept up to date via emails in regards to anything that is going on with the apprentices.

As mentioned previously, I have found my programme to be well thought out. For the first two weeks, all aprentices stayed in a conference centre with the first week being dedicated to activities and talks, and the second being related to thorough revision for our first test for Cert CII. We were then put in to the working environment and provided with support from managers, colleagues and our training coach to help us settle in. I had regular catch ups with my manager to see how I was progressing during my first couple of months and we kept track of what I was doing and how I could develop. I feel that the Cert CII (as an exam board) can be relatively difficult at times however Aon definitely helps us to get over this and trys to structure our exams and revision as simply as possible.

I have access to my training coach's email and mobile number so I can call and pretty much whenever and she provides a speedy response. We also meet face to face once a month, which I feel is relatively helpful ust to tie up an loose ends in regards to the coursework I have to complete within my apprenticeship. My training coach has a good attitude towards helping me and is always answering questions, no matter how small or big they are.

My manager is extremely supportive of me, always answering any questions and coming over to my desk to help or explain anything to me that I'm not quite grasping. In regards to HR team, we have IT system lines we can call to help us with any IT errors or issues we are having. I never have to wait long for them to pick up and I usually have my incidents resolved very quickly. They always have a good attitude and never get annoyed when trying to explain something.

I am still living with parents so I don't find my salary is an issue at all, my travel costs are not huge and I don't have to pay for much else. I do think it's possibly a little unfair that salaries differentiate for locations, for example some locations are quite a lot higher than others even though they are not too far away from one another. I feel that each job role should get paid the same no matter what location as we are all doing the same job.

Being a broker, there are a huge amount of opportunities outside of work. It is a very social job as a lot of it is creating relationships with clients so that we can create more business. I lvoe the social aspect as it makes the job so much more interesting, not many jobs get the opporunity to be so social in and out of the role. On the apprenticeship programmes, we are always offered if there are any football tickets for example which is exciting. Aon also hold empower results events for example.

Yes

I think Aon is a great company to work at. I think it has the perfect work/life balance by being able to incorporate a social aspect in to your day-to-day working life. I also think that they provide great services for employees, including a dedicated extras and benefits site that give great discounts on things like holidays or retail sites.

I would say definitely set a lot of time aside for your application. It is a long process with the initial tests, online interview, assessment centre and then other interviews. You should definitely do your research because it is appreciated when you come in with a base knowledge of who Aon are and what you have applied for. I would have liked to be told to be patient. Aon get thousands of applications for apprenticeships and only around 30 in the UK make the cut, meaning that they have to spend a lot of time reviewing people. This can takes months, but don't be impatient or lose hope.