Bethan started on the General Graduate Programme in February 2018 and has since taken up her permanent role in Internal Consultancy.
Bethan started on the General Graduate Programme in February 2018 and has since taken up her permanent role in Internal Consultancy.
What skills from your degree have helped you succeed at Admiral?
I studied Business Management at Cardiff University and specialised in Marketing. The degree gave me a good foundation in business, whilst also building on softer skills, such as presenting and teamwork. Following university, I worked at a start-up printing company in Nottinghamshire as their Sales and Marketing Manager. This helped me understand more about how businesses work in practice and developed my interpersonal skills before joining Admiral.
Why did you choose the Admiral Graduate Programme?
I had heard so many great things about Admiral as an employer from university and people I knew. Like many people, the rotational aspect appealed to me as well because it seemed like an opportunity to grow my skills and learn about different parts of a large organization.
Tell us about your placements during the Graduate Programme?
My first placement was in the Product and Marketing team in AFSL (Admiral Financial Services Limited) followed by a shorter stint in Commercial. During this time in AFSL, my responsibilities included optimising web journeys and meeting with partners. Following AFSL, I spent my second placement in the Household Product Team looking after InstaQuote. During this time, I focused on improving the online journey, as well as working closely with Operations, Underwriting and Pricing to improve the product’s performance. For my final placement, I took all of the knowledge from Household in the UK and moved to Paris. For almost 10 months, I worked for L’olivier on the launch of home insurance in France. This involved lots of project management and product ownership.What was your favourite part of working abroad?
Doing a placement abroad really pushes you out of your comfort zone. I was moving to a new country, where I couldn’t speak the language, and into an IT role, which was also brand new to me.Whilst it wasn’t a holiday, I was still able to soak up Paris - I mean come on, you’re in Paris, you know? L’Olivier also have a contact centre in Lille, which I got to visit a few times as well as our European IT hub in Seville.
What tip would you give to someone considering a placement abroad?
Like I said, it isn’t a holiday because you are there to work, so just make sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons and really up for trying something new. I also think you have to being willing to make the extra effort. The L’Olivier office is a lot smaller than Ty Admiral - there’s only 50 people or so there - so it’s beneficial to make the extra effort with your colleagues. Also you’re only in that place for a certain length of time, so make sure that you get out and explore when you can!
I also think that learning the language basics before you go on your placement will help. I can still read French in emails and my colleagues’ social media!
What is your best memory from your time on the graduate scheme?
My favourite memory is probably the first few weeks in induction.There’s just nothing like it, you become so close with your cohort and it’s just so much fun. I’m still in touch with people I started with.
My other favourite memory is the day that I boarded the plane to Paris for my final placement, it was just such an exciting day.
