Insurance careers: including actuarial work
This page has been designed to give a starting point for those looking into careers in actuarial work or insurance.
What is Insurance?
Insurance protects us against the possibility of loss. Actuaries provide commercial, financial and prudential advice on the management of assets and liabilities especially where long term management and planning are critical factors. It takes 3-6 years to qualify as an Actuary depending on what route you take. Salaries and benefits packages are excellent - even for those starting out in their career. In fact, it's one of the highest paid professions.
Prospects
Prospects is a graduate careers website with job profiles, including insurance account manager, insurance broker, insurance claims inspector, insurance risk surveyor, insurance underwriter, chartered loss adjuster, actuary - consultancy, actuary - insurance company.
Insurance and Pensions
Chartered Insurance Institute
The Institute of Actuaries
The professional body for the Actuary profession, on their website you will find a careers section and an introduction to the profession.
www.actuaries.org.uk
Inside Careers
In-depth and structured information and advice about entering the actuarial profession. The printed Inside Careers guide to the Actuarial profession is available at the careers centre on the Moulsecoomb campus.
www.insidecareers.co.uk/actuaries
How do I get into it?
The skills and qualities to work in insurance vary depending on the role. The Chartered Institute of Insurance Pathways website has a guide to the qualifications, skills and qualities required for each role in the insurance sector.
www.pathways.cii.co.uk
Chartered Insurance Institute
This site contains information on qualification and training routes, including downloadable PDF's.
www.cii.co.uk/cii/research/publications.aspx
Finding a job or employers in this sector
If you are looking to work for a large organisation you should consult graduate employment directories, such as the Prospects Directory, Hobson's GET Guide. They are free from the careers centre.
The insurance sector falls under the financial and business services and in Brighton and Hove this makes up a quarter of all employment. According the Brighton and Hove City Council Labour Market and the Economy report, the financial services sector in Brighton and Hove is dominated by a small number of large companies such as America Express, Lloyds TSB and Legal & General. See our page on Working in Sussex and the South East for more information.
Chartered Institute of Insurance Pathways
This website has a Looking for a job section which details relevant recruitment agencies and key websites, including online versions of trade journals.
www.pathways.cii.co.uk
insurancejobsboard.com
Job site advertising opportuntities in the Insurance and associated Financial Services sector.
www.insurancejobsboard.com
Lloyd's of London
www.lloyds.com/Lloyds/Careers/Graduates
Insurance & Underwriting Jobs
Insurance Jobs is the general insurance recruitment marketplace with lots of graduate vacancies.
www.insurancejobs.co.uk/jobs/
For more information on local, national, graduate schemes and other vacancies see our pages on finding vacancies.
Real World - Accounting and Actuarial
Online magazine with links to employers, online vacancies, case studies and articles
www.realworldmagazine.com/accountancy
www.realworldmagazine.com/actuarial
GAAPS Actuarial
GAAPS is a specialist actuarial recruitment group. Submit your CV and search for online vacancies.
www.gaaps.com
Professional bodies and useful links
Association of British Insurers (ABI)
The ABI represents the collective interests of the UK’s insurance industry.
www.abi.org.uk
Association of Insurance and Risk Managers
The Association of Insurance and Risk Managers (AIRMIC) is dedicated to the wide-ranging interests of all professionals practicing or responsible for insurance and risk management.
www.airmic.com
British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA)
BIBA is the leading independent insurance body, representing both the consumer and the professional insurance broker.
www.biba.org.uk
British Insurance Law Association
Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)
This website has a large amount of information designed for practising insurers but also has helpful careers and training information.
www.cii.co.uk
Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA)
The visitors’ site gives good general information about the area of work, and has some contacts, however it is primarily a closed members site.
www.cila.co.uk
European Federation of Loss Adjusting Experts
Gabriel & James Executive Search and Human Capital
Executive and Graduate Recruitment Specialists, with a section linking to consulting actuaries and actuarial information on the internet.
www.gabrielandjames.com
Government Actuary's Department (GAD)
The Actuarial Profession
International Underwriting Association (IUA)
Personal Finance Society
An association for financial services professionals – has information for professionals as well as general information about the profession.
www.lia.co.uk
Staple Inn Actuarial Society
Publishers of The Actuary.
www.sias.org.uk