"The internship offered me great insights into what working in this industry entails, the vast learning opportunities, and the career paths it offers. For the past 10 years, I have been focusing on developing my expertise and even had overseas working stints in Malaysia, China, and Australia."
The GIA Internship Program (GIP) is an excellent stepping board to explore the General Insurance industry which provides a broad range of coverage for individuals and businesses. Whilst it is a critical pillar supporting economic development, there is often a lack of awareness around the work that the industry does. Through the program, not only was I more aware of the work behind the scenes, but I also came away more appreciative of the role that insurers play in helping individuals, businesses, and society as a whole, get back on their feet.
I was fortunate to be offered a bank internship and GIP in my final year of university and chose the latter because I believe I will have more to learn from GIP. It turned out to be the best decision made. The internship offered me great insights into what working in this industry entails, the vast learning opportunities, and the career paths it offers. For the past 10 years, I have been focusing on developing my expertise and even had overseas working stints in Malaysia, China, and Australia.
"It is a great avenue to gain more insights, and get hands-on experience as well as career advice. The program can also open up job opportunities for undergraduates who are looking for a rewarding career and develop skills that are highly sought after in the sector."
The experience I have accumulated over the years helped me to secure a managerial role in MSIG Insurance, currently one of the top 5 general insurers in Singapore. My work involves product underwriting for various Property & Casualty insurance classes which requires me to think outside of the box and develop innovative solutions collaboratively. I enjoy the variety of challenges here and MSIG provides the growth opportunities that I was seeking professionally.
The GIP includes a 1-week course with sharing sessions by experts in various fields such as Claims, Underwriting, Actuarial, and Reinsurance. This program offers a sneak peek into what goes behind the scenes and what it would be like working in this dynamic environment, which is very much in sync with real-world risks and challenges. It is a great avenue to gain more insights, and get hands-on experience as well as career advice. The program can also open up job opportunities for undergraduates who are looking for a rewarding career and develop skills that are highly sought after in the sector.
"You can benefit from the broad-based knowledge and the core skills gained, which will still be useful and valued at any other workplace."
By participating in GIP, you can be assured of strong engagement from the GIP team throughout the internship. You will not only gain knowledge outside of what was taught in school but also networking opportunities with like-minded peers and industry veterans.
I will highly recommend GIP to anyone who is motivated to build a career in the general insurance sector. Even if you think it is not for you, you can benefit from the broad-based knowledge and the core skills gained, which will still be useful and valued at any other workplace.