Very flexible. I was basically my own boss and ran my own business. Thus, I only answered to myself and did what I thought was best for my clientel. They trained me very well having a training session once weekly. Ranked top 5 internships in the world, because of the amount on hands on experience. I had the same responsibilities and role as a full time financial advisor
What I wish was different
That the pay was more. I basically got paid all on commission except for $100 a week capt off a $1000.
Advice
You need to get outside your comfort zone. You have to be willing to do anything to make sure your clientel base keeps on growing.
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College Financial Representative
May - August 2018 • Davenport, IA
What I liked
I loved how they threw me in right away. They treated me just like a full-time representative for the most part. There was some sort of training every morning on different subjects that we could add to our skills or talk to clients about.
I also liked how Northwestern Mutual has you do joint-work pretty much all the time. However, they don't make you do it with just one person. You have the ability to do it with whoever you want. This gives you the opportunity to learn from many different successful professionals.
One last thing I liked was the accountability and competitiveness of the office. While everyone wants you to succeed, your numbers are shown in front of the office every week for everyone to see. This helps you compare yourself to your peers and lets everyone know if you have been doing your job.
What I wish was different
I wish the training was a bit more structured
I also wish they had spent a specific training time to learn how to make a retirement plan. I tried on my own for a long time, however, due to the complexity, it was nearly impossible to know if I was doing it correctly.
Advice
I would say go into it ready to learn. Everyone you work with desires to help you be better, not only in your job, but as a person. Also, take notes. Every time you learn something or hear something you like, write it down so you can refer back to it. This helped me remember quotes I liked, things I could adopt in my own business while I was there, and helped me pass on things I thought were inspirational to other people.
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College Financial Representative
May 2018 • Poughkeepsie, NY
What I liked
I had the freedom to run my own business and learn from very successful financial planners. I gained a type of experience that most people don't get from an internship. Learned more about the industry from this internship than any textbook has taught me.
What I wish was different
The ability to go after clients and get the confidence to reach out to new prospects. I wish there was more of weekly salary for the amount of work we put in.
Advice
Take advantage of the resources they give you and don't be afraid to get out of comfort zone because it is needed in order to achieve success.
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College Financial Representative
May - August 2018 • Clinton, NJ
What I liked
learning a lot about personal finance and how to manage your money
What I wish was different
I wish i didnt have to call on my friends and family to create business
Advice
If you are considering this internship, be prepared to work hard and potentially strain relationships with friends and family.
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Financial Representative
May - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
Experience
What I wish was different
The pay
Advice
Be ready to call people
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College Financial Representative
May - August 2018 • Sulphur Springs, TX
What I liked
I enjoyed the flexibility given on my weekly schedule, which worked well with taking summer classes. I also enjoyed the level of responsibility that was given to me.
What I wish was different
I felt that the pay scale was not competitive for the level of commitment and personal money invested.
Advice
If you are willing to work hard, be self-driven, and prepared to get out of your comfort zone than this is the internship for you! I developed more than I ever thought I would. If you are not prepared for this, than this is not the internship for you.
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Backend Software Engineer
May 2018 • Milwaukee, WI
What I liked
I really loved the work that I was doing and my coworkers were amazing. They gave me an opportunity to choose one from a selection of projects to work on. The interns came from all over the country and we all stayed in the same living quarters. Outside of work many of us got together to play beach volleyball, soccer , try new restaurants and experience all the things that Milwaukee had to offer. Overall it was an awesome experience
What I wish was different
Advice
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College Financial Representative
June - September 2018 • Woodland Hills, CA
What I liked
Learning about sales and financial industry.
What I wish was different
I wish I could receive some training immediately after I got my offer.
Advice
Call everyone
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Operations Assistant
June - August 2018 • Tampa, FL
What I liked
I liked being able to learn about what it’s like to work a full time job in a real office.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Financial Advisor Intern
May - July 2018 • Schaumburg, IL
What I liked
I enjoyed how much I learned about all the different types of insurances and retirement accounts
What I wish was different
I wish it would have been more of the financial side of the company. In terms of like investments they’re getting into and what not.
Advice
Do not let them sell you on this job by saying its more than what it is. They made it seem like I would be working with both the sales side and the the financial side to get me into the internship because I told them I was going to apply for the actual financial internship and not the “financial advisor” internship which turned out to just be sales.
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Financial Advisor Intern
May - August 2018 • Denver, CO
What I liked
Northwestern Mutual is a wonderful and very exciting company to work for. The company culture is great and all of the people involved in the internship work their very hardest to ensure you feel supported and have the best opportunity to succeed. The internship itself is challenging but rewarding, and you learn an immense amount both about yourself and about the professional world. Additionally, there is a lot of room for growth and success if you work hard and challenge yourself. There are also a ton of opportunities open to Northwestern Mutual Interns, including travel.
What I wish was different
The one weakness of the Northwestern Mutual Internship is the lack of pay. You receive a $100 weekly stipend for the entire internship, but otherwise your only source of income is via commissions from sales. While this is a great inspiration and definitely pushes you to work harder, it can be very difficult to make money during the first month. If you decide to do this internship, I would highly recommend having at least 3 months of emergency income saved up, or some other reliable source of income so that money is not a major stress during your experience.
Advice
Before you commit to the NM internship, be 100% ready to commit to the experience for the whole 3 months. Be aware that it will be very difficult at times, and that you will want to quit, and be prepared to work through those feelings and push forward. Also, you should be working 40 hours a week for a majority of the summer and are only allowed a week off for vacation, so be aware of that as well. The NM internship is not easy, but it is one of the top 10 internships in the country for a reason, so you'll have a great team behind you. As long as you commit to work hard and remain open to the experience, you'll have a great internship.
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Financial Representative
June 2018 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
Challenging, flexible schedule, leadership opportunities, networking, built new relationships, personal development
What I wish was different
compensation
Advice
Be ready to push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you give it your best you will at the very least grow a lot as a person and likely make some good money while you're at it if you get good at the job.
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Financial Representative
May 2018 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I liked having a lot of freedom to dictate my own schedule.
What I wish was different
I hated having to make calls, but that's just part of the business.
Advice
If you can't handle rejection this is not for you.
