My Summer Internship Experience

Summer Internship is an integral part of any MBA curriculum in the country. It serves as the only direct exposure to an organization and its ways of functioning during the entire curriculum. The importance of summer internship in any management course cannot be over-emphasized. Irrespective of the general acceptance of summer internship among the students as well as the corporate, there still exists some scepticism and confusion in the minds of MBA students about the efficacy and usefulness of a summer training programme. But according to me, it is the most effective aid in enabling the students to relate management theory to practice, and in making an informed career choice.

Now coming to my Summer Internship, the title of the project was “Evaluation of the Implementation of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna in the districts of Uttar Pradesh” and I pursued my summer internship at ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd. The company had a very structured process of summer internship with an initial induction, which gives a bird's eye view of the various perspectives of the business and also prepares interns for the internship. So following that for the first week I had been provided all the reading material and links explaining the details and processes involved the project, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, which is a health insurance project for BPL population by Ministry of Labour for which the company was contracted.

Then, I met my Company Guide who seemed fantastic. He had created a motivating list of tasks and assignments that I would complete during the internship and I was free to change anything or add anything extra which I could do. He headed the operations of all 15 districts in which the project was running currently and my task was to visit all those 15 districts and find the problem areas in the processes and give suggestions and recommendations to improve it in the remaining 56 districts in which the project will be implemented this year.

As per the plan I visited all the 15 districts and took a 360 degree feedback from ICICI Lombard employees, Health Card Providers, Hospitals and the BPL beneficiaries through different questionnaires prepared by me. Seeing my zeal, commitment and hard work, my company guide extended the period of my internship to 8 weeks, which was initially 6 weeks so that I could assist the team in implementing the project and learn how the work is done on field. So, in the later half of my internship I assisted in implementation of the project in Central and South Zone of Uttar Pradesh.

I feel a typical internship is not only about work and rigor but also about enjoying the experience, which I got there by visiting throughout the state, seeing different cultures and interacting and knowing how a BPL person feels was a great experience. But at the same time, a lot of travelling took the toll out of me and it proved very hectic as I was not habitual of travelling this much before that.

In the end I found myself all the more confident and willing to face challenges. And not to forget a lot of good relationship's that I made. Certainly, it is a very fun and flexible place to work where Interns are treated like full-time employees in almost every way. I got lot of exposure about how work is done at the field and I proved myself there by introducing innovative things, which can also give direct benefit to the company in form of getting more premiums from the government. It's great to feel trusted and valued for my contributions.

I chose this internship over another internship opportunity as I had prior exposure to the insurance industry with my association with LIC as an Insurance Consultant for several years and also had keen interest and wanted to know and learn more about the insurance industry. And after working on this project I would also like to build my career in this field as there is a lot of opportunity for me not only in this company but in other insurance companies, which are involved in this project in different states of India.

The project was of tremendous value add as it equips me with an understanding of the Public-Private Partnership and Health Insurance business. The project is very beneficial for me as it gives me insight into the business and works behind one of the biggest brands among the private insurance companies in India. Though only eight years old, the Company has a great work profile and healthy environment to work to show your talent with a freedom to work. I was more than happy to get interned at this company. But I must say the whole experience went way above my expectations. The stereotypical summer internship involves performing tedious, boring tasks for a huge company or more commonly a research internship at an Institution or organization, which is almost the opposite of my experience.