Dual study programme in business administration: Ricarda

Before I started my studies, I completed an apprenticeship as an insurance saleswoman. There I worked exclusively in private customer business. In my studies, I wanted to focus primarily on the commercial and/or industrial sector. Since the HDI Group is an important market player in this segment, I came across HDI directly during my Google research for dual study programmes. I found the advertisement for the dual study programme in business administration/industrial insurance on the careers page, applied and received an acceptance letter straight away.

I was assigned to the Munich branch office during my practical phases and got to know underwriting in various lines of business as well as direct sales. Accordingly, my daily work routine was always different. While insurance-specific content was relevant in underwriting, direct sales was characterised by sales-related tasks.In general, I was allowed to take on tasks independently and always received help from my colleagues. My activities were wide-ranging, which gave me a good insight into the daily doing of the respective department during the 3 months.From customer meetings, to accompanying tenders, to comparing wording and organising events, everything was included.

The working relationship with the trainers and colleagues is very close, familial and based on partnership. I have always received support during the practical phases and have never felt alone or overwhelmed with the tasks. The delegation of responsible tasks has rather confirmed me in getting support from my colleagues to expand my specialist knowledge and to optimise my working methods through feedback. If I had any concerns about university, I could always turn to my trainer and my colleagues were also happy to help me explain technical topics during the theory phases.