Great Eastern Life

i happened to be from one of the earlier batches.

so heres what i feel about the whole thing.

if you have no interest whatsoever in dealing insurance in the future, DONT go for it. what happened for my batch was everyone had to be licensed as an agent to be able to receive the pay/allowance at the end of the internship. those that chose not to be licensed and practice actually had to forgo the $800 (that was what we were given then).

personally i had no interest and chose to enroll in it as a last resort thing. i do not regret what i learnt from there but the months spent there could definitely have been better off spent doing admin as a temp at banks and knowing more ppl if you are keen to enter the finance industry in the future.

so think of your end goal, what you want ultimately then plot your way accordingly. cheers

[ook]

my advice is not to take up this internship but work as a temp admin in a bank or smth n network from there

Hi! Quick question.

Any idea if any actual selling is involved?
Also, any legal commitment is involved should we not sign as their agent after the programme completed.

I actually got shortlisted for their internship programme.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi! Quick question.

Any idea if any actual selling is involved?
Also, any legal commitment is involved should we not sign as their agent after the programme completed.

I actually got shortlisted for their internship programme.

Your application was 'processed' not 'shortlisted'. They almost never reject any applicant. And yes you will be expected to sell by joining an insurance sales program, why else would you join this program?

Mainly join to be exposed to the 'secrets of the industry' also capitalising that there are
'free financial planning certification and knowledge to take home'. I believe its important to be literate in financial planning so as to deal with such matters. Not so keen on the selling though.

However, on the hindsight, I do not believe as 'free lunch in the world' thus seeking for opinions from people here. So unsure if selling or legal obligations vaguely stated in terms of internship. Thus, coming onto this forum to perhaps get an 'insight' from people who personally experienced it, so i know what to expect and look out for before signing any documents.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Your application was 'processed' not 'shortlisted'. They almost never reject any applicant. And yes you will be expected to sell by joining an insurance sales program, why else would you join this program?

Mainly join to be exposed to the 'secrets of the industry' also capitalising that there are
'free financial planning certification and knowledge to take home'. I believe its important to be literate in financial planning so as to deal with such matters. Not so keen on the selling though.

However, on the hindsight, I do not believe as 'free lunch in the world' thus seeking for opinions from people here. So unsure if selling or legal obligations vaguely stated in terms of internship. Thus, coming onto this forum to perhaps get an 'insight' from people who personally experienced it, so i know what to expect and look out for before signing any documents.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Mainly join to be exposed to the 'secrets of the industry' also capitalising that there are
'free financial planning certification and knowledge to take home'. I believe its important to be literate in financial planning so as to deal with such matters. Not so keen on the selling though.

However, on the hindsight, I do not believe as 'free lunch in the world' thus seeking for opinions from people here. So unsure if selling or legal obligations vaguely stated in terms of internship. Thus, coming onto this forum to perhaps get an 'insight' from people who personally experienced it, so i know what to expect and look out for before signing any documents.

That's just being penny wise and pound foolish. I can't believe anyone would waste their precious time to go through such a lengthy course to learn basic financial planning.

Firstly, these consultants know nuts about finance, they are there to sell and the training focus on selling with rudimentary product knowledge. Secondly you can just read off any good blog or magazine in a few hours to get the rough idea.

To waste months of precious internship time because it's "free" "secrets", I think you really need to grow up and get your priorities right. Don't end up graduate already cannot find job because all your peers have experience and connection then kpkb.

haha strawberry kids these days...

lol many people on this thread dissing something which they haven't been been through...so typical of salary.sg posters

I have actually been through this programme (5 years back) and am hence better placed to answer the queries here.

There is completely no obligation to sell insurance for GE. While they will coach you to get the certifications, decision to sign the contract at the end of the internship is completely up to you. For my batch, about 30% decided to sign. I was part of the 70% who did not.

Are the certifications useful? That depends on where you plan on entering. For me, personally, they definitely gave me an advantage when I was applying for internships in my later undergrad years. Having M5, M9, M9A certifications at the age of 21/22 definitely puts you ahead of others.

However, if you are in your penultimate year, then you should try looking for other internships which are more relevant to the working world. Go for this GE internship if you are in 1st/2nd year of uni. Personally, I went for it after my 1st year. I managed to get an internship at a boutique WM firm the subsequent summer and got an internship in the WM arm of a major IB the year after, which was converted to a full time position. So do go for it, and ignore the haters who are probably stuck in their 3k/month jobs

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Are the certifications useful? That depends on where you plan on entering. For me, personally, they definitely gave me an advantage when I was applying for internships in my later undergrad years. Having M5, M9, M9A certifications at the age of 21/22 definitely puts you ahead of others.

LOL. Standard CMFAS modules that you memorize 2 hours before exam where every insurance agent go through motion to fulfill regulations is going to give you an advantage in the WM/IB industry!?

Give me a break. Unless by WM firm you mean some idiotic XXX & Associates insurance agency.