Stephanie Lewis, Insurance Practitioner Apprentice, Post Insurance

How did you get your apprenticeship?

I went to college to study Economics and German, but when I started the course I quickly realised that German was not for me, despite how much I enjoyed the business side of the course, I was always good at the financial side of things and working in packages like Excel. Then I saw the Apprenticeship opportunity on the Solas website with Post Insurance in Athlone, so I went for it and here I am today.

What does your Apprenticeship involve?

I've recently been working in sales so I've been on the phones selling general motor insurance. I'm shortly moving into Customer Services and over the course of the internship I'll get exposure to every area of the business.

What's the best thing about your apprenticeship?

I love the variety of the work across the different departments, I get to see how the regulatory side works too. It's also a large company so there's a lot of different people to work with and it's a very social job.

What skills do you need to be successful in your apprenticeship?

The skills I think you will need on a daily basis are good computer skills and computer proficiency. On Tuesday's we do lectures in conjunction with Sligo IT and we use an online system for that too so it's good to have a good grasp of technology.

What activities helped your apprenticeship application?

I'm an avid singer, I'd be one of the first to take part in Stars In Your Eyes and I love being on stages and performing so it's second nature to me to talk to people so that helps when you're talking to customers.

Would you recommend an apprenticeship?

The best thing about an insurance apprenticeship is the sales and the people for me. I don't feel isolated in my work, it's a very people oriented sector. The apprenticeship is a good fit for me as it's very hands on with a lot of on the job learning so that definitely suits me, learning as you're doing really helps with both the work and the exams.