Overview
College Financial Representatives in the internship program at Northwestern Mutual are provided guidance, connection, and a framework for building an integrated financial planning practice from the ground up. Our college financial representatives, who come from varying academic backgrounds and experiences, begin to build a financial planning practice while engaging local and nationwide experts, exclusive financial products, and the support of a Fortune 500 company. You will have the opportunity to build your confidence, develop a professional network, and help people achieve financial freedom. Here, hard work pays off!
Responsibilities
Our internship program mimics our full-time Financial Representative career, allowing you to:
- Learn how to prospect and network to build your business and client base
- Develop and execute on a business strategy
- Call on potential clients and set meetings to understand their financial goals
- Prepare plans and offer useful recommendations
- Gain exposure to proprietary planning software platforms
- Engage in weekly coaching, training, and development meetings
- Receive Risk Product State Licensing: Life, Accident, and Health
- Build life skills that create future career opportunities
As a Northwestern Mutual College Financial Representative, you can expect a flexible schedule to work around your life and your classes. With the option to participate in our internship program year-round, you can continue to grow your practice and obtain support for registrations and certifications such as the Series 6 & 63 or CFP®. Get inspired at local and national recognition events, earn access to leadership programs, and collaborate with experts in our business. In fact, you’ll find diverse resources across our culture to ensure that you experience personal and professional growth in this program. With interest, eligible students have an opportunity to interview for a full-time Financial Representative or Advisor role upon graduation.
Qualifications
Are you a fit for this internship?
- Full-time student; juniors and seniors preferred
- Entrepreneurial ambitions and curiosity for sales
- Highly involved on campus (leader, athlete, campus orgs, student government, etc)
- Excellent time-management skills
- Interest in financial literacy and planning tools
- Business savvy and desire to increase critical thinking abilities
Compensation & Benefits
- Performance-based earnings and revenue
- Learning and Development Incentives (up to $1000/month, not inclusive of earned commissions)
- Productivity Bonuses
- Support for insurance licensing (life, health, DI, LTC)
- Support for SIE, Series 6, Series 63 registrations (eligibility required)
About Us
For over 165 years, we have helped our clients spend their lives living through comprehensive and innovative financial planning. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to give our clients the ability to successfully navigate their financial lives.
Our tailored approach includes multiple financial strategies—insurance, investments, and annuities—built to reinforce each other, keeping our clients consistently on track to meet goal after goal. We lead with unmatched financial strength and access to the best products and services for our clients.
Our Financial Representatives and College Financial Representatives are valued partners and proud business owners. As such, they are considered independent contractors1 for income tax purposes, and a “statutory employee” for Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax purposes.
As a company, we value an inclusive and belonging workplace where everyone’s unique viewpoints bring new successes. We strive to create teams that reflect our customers and communities, fostering an environment where all employees are welcomed, valued, and heard.
Why join Northwestern Mutual
- Fortune 500 company (2025)
- Top 100 Internship Programs, Yello x WayUp (2025)
- 5.0+ million clients and growing
- $257 billion retail investment client assets held or managed by Northwestern Mutual
- Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity (2018-2025)
- Unsurpassed financial strength4
- Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality- Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index (2015-2025)
Northwestern Mutual College Financial Representatives are Independent Contractors whose income is based on production. If offered to apply for approval of an intern contract to become a Northwestern Mutual College Financial Representative, a national criminal background check is required. Should the background check results provide information which would not allow someone to work for Northwestern Mutual, approval to contract will be withdrawn.
Pay Range
USD $250.00 – USD $3,500.00 /Yr.
As a College Financial Representative, you will have access to AI-powered tools such as Copilot and ALAI to support you as you learn and grow in your role. Because you will be introduced to new financial concepts, terminology, systems, and processes, Copilot can serve as an additional learning resource to help break down complex information and processes into easier-to-understand steps.
You will also use ALAI to assist with capturing case notes during client conversations. This allows you to spend less time manually documenting information and more time actively listening, asking meaningful questions, and engaging with clients.
AI tools can also support you in preparing for meetings, organizing your thoughts, developing questions, and strengthening professional communication. By incorporating these tools into your day-to-day responsibilities, you can spend more time focused on building your knowledge, developing client relationships, and becoming more confident and efficient as a College Financial Representative.