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.

• AGCAS Industry Insights - Banking, investment and insurance (pdf 124kb)
• Chartered Insurance Institute - Discover Risk
  Careers page from the 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.
• Inside Careers - Actuarial careers
  News stories, a user forum and a detailed pdf guide to the profession. Limited paper copies available at Moulsecoomb Careers Centre.
• Prospects: Types of jobs - Insurance and pensions
  Prospects is a graduate careers website with a broad range of job profiles in this sector.

How do I get into it?

• Chartered Insurance Institute
  Contains information on qualification and training routes.

Finding a job or employers in this sector

• GAAPS Actuarial
  GAAPS is a specialist actuarial recruitment group. Submit your CV and search for online vacancies.
• Insurance Jobs
  A general insurance recruitment marketplace with lots of graduate vacancies.
• Insurancejobsboard.com
  Job site advertising opportunities in the Insurance and associated Financial Services sector.
• Lloyd's of London
  Details of graduate programmes and summer internship opportunities for students going into their final year of study.
  

Professional bodies and useful links

• The Actuarial Profession
  The Actuarial Profession represents the members of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries externally, and regulates those members for the benefit of the outside world. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries is the chartered professional body for actuaries in the UK.
• Association of British Insurers (ABI)
  The ABI represents the collective interests of the UK’s insurance industry.
• Association of Insurance and Risk Managers (AIRMIC)
  AIRMIC is dedicated to the wide-ranging interests of all professionals practicing or responsible for insurance and risk management.
• British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA)
  BIBA is the leading independent insurance body, representing both the consumer and the professional insurance broker.
• British Insurance Law Association (BILA)
  Holds regular talks and Conferences on insurance law topics, often with speakers from overseas. It produces technical papers on a wide range of subjects for bodies including Government and Law Reform Commissions. BILA also publishes a journal three times per year, which contains articles of interest to insurance practitioners.
• 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.
• Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)
  This website has a large amount of information designed for practising insurers but also has helpful careers and training information.
  
• European Federation of Loss Adjusting Experts
  The Federation aims to promote the independent/impartial profession of loss adjusting for the insurance industry and other areas of commerce.
• Gabriel and James Executive Search and Human Capital
  Executive and Graduate Recruitment Specialists, with a section linking to consulting actuaries and actuarial information on the internet.
• Government Actuary's Department (GAD)
  Information on careers and graduate recruitment.
• International Underwriting Association (IUA)
  The IUA exists to promote and enhance the business environment for international insurance and reinsurance companies operating in or through London.
  
• Personal Finance Society
  An association for financial services professionals – has information for professionals as well as general information about the profession.
• Staple Inn Actuarial Society
  Publishers of The Actuary.