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What is an actuary?
What is an actuary? Actuaries are experts in risk management. They use their mathematical skills to help measure the probability and risk of future events. This information is useful to many industries, including healthcare, pensions, insurance, banking and investments, where a single decision can have a major financial impact. Actuaries in the UK belong to the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. It is a global profession with internationally-recognised qualifications. It is also very highly regarded, in the way that medicine and law are, and an actuarial career can be one of the most diverse, exciting and rewarding in the world. In fact, due to the difficult exams and the expertise required, being an actuary carries quite a reputation. What skills do actuaries have? People who work as actuaries come from all sorts of backgrounds, though clearly they share a love of maths. Actuaries are problem solvers and strategic thinkers with a deep understanding of financial systems. On the way to achieving a qualification, you'll develop these and other key skills - analysing data, evaluating financial risks, communicating clearly through exams and work-based training. Who should become an actuary?
A graduate typically with a 2:1 in a numerate subject (others may be suitable) Loves logic and problem solving Good communicator Excellent business acumen
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Pensions, 22%
Life Insurance, 27 %
General Insurance, 12 %
22% work in Pensions 27% work in Life Insurance 12% work in General Insurance 5% work in Investment 2% work in Education 1% work in Health and Care 33% work in other sectors
Others, 33%
Education, 2%
Investment, 5 %
What are the main industry sectors I could work in? Actuaries' skills are in great demand throughout the financial sector, particularly in investment, insurance and pensions. Actuaries are also increasingly employed in risk management for large companies. However, actuarial consultancies are probably the biggest employers of actuaries in the UK. There are many areas where actuaries work, including; Consultancies - offering advice on issues such as acquisitions, mergers and financing capital projects, and also on occupational pension schemes Investment - involved in research and on the pricing and management of investments, particularly in mitigating the risk of investments Insurance - providing a service to companies which need a huge range of numerical information investigated, analysed and explained; for example to create and price polices, or to ensure they have the money to cover claims Pensions - designing and advising on company pension schemes, especially placing a value on accumulated pension commitments. What kind of projects do actuaries work on? Every area of business is subject to risks so an actuarial career offers many options. A typical business problem might involve analysing future financial events, especially when elements are uncertain. But it could also involve understanding something like the weather: assessing when and where devastating storms may hit and their associated costs, for investments or insurance. Due to an actuary's skill the opportunities open to them are endless, they can even be employed in the marketing and development of financial products. What skills do I need? Understanding how businesses operate is vital, but what really sets actuaries apart is their natural mathematical, economic and statistical awareness, and their ability to apply this to real business issues. The ability to communicate these difficult topics to non-specialists is also very important. Find out more about the skills that you need at each stage of qualification.
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Can I work in other areas? The skills that you will gain as an actuary will be invaluable to you in your future career, whether that is as an actuary or other. Many actuaries change practice area and career paths. They move into teaching, alternative risk roles, consultants, business operations managers, career advisers the list is endless. Can I work abroad? Yes - With the skills you will gain with the UK Profession, they can take you anywhere in the world. With mutual recognition agreements with some of the other actuarial professional bodies, once you have qualified it may be easy to transfer to another professional body if your work takes you that way.
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provide comprehensive professional advice. Where they have identified the need for additional expertise, they can interpret the advice of other experts and synthesize an appropriate solution. Fellows will work to the highest professional and ethical standards and can fulfil all the UK statutory responsibilities of an actuary and undertake actuarial reserved roles (subject to professional practising certificate requirements) and will be recognised as a fully qualified actuary in most other jurisdictions (subject to local experience requirements).
Government Actuarys Department (GAD) provides advice to the Government via Royal Commissions, as well as giving advice to other government departments and a wide range of public sector bodies, including local authorities and the NHS. Insurance industry Life insurance Life insurance companies provide life insurance, pensions and other financial services. Actuaries are involved at all stages in the product development and in the pricing, risk assessment and marketing of the products. With recent legislation leading to more private healthcare provision, insurance companies are extending their range of products to include medical insurance, critical illness and disability insurance. General insurance General insurance is a fast-growing area for actuaries, both within insurance companies and consultancies as well as reinsurance and broking operations. General insurance includes personal insurance, such as home and motor insurance, as well as insurance for large commercial risks. Terrorist attacks, Caribbean windstorms and industrial diseases like asbestosis are all examples of insurance liabilities where actuaries have been integrally involved in estimating ultimate costs into an uncertain future. Finance and investment Investment management Actuaries have been involved in the field of investment management for decades. Indeed, it is probably true to say that more people see the word actuaries through the daily stock exchange indices than through any other source. Actuaries are involved in buying and selling assets, investment analysis and portfolio management. Many employers recognise the skills that the training provides and have allowed actuaries to develop these skills as well as others, such as the skills of financial economists. Corporate finance Although generally regarded as the province of the investment banker, actuaries can add value in this area. An actuarys basic skills in forecasting and assessing risks are ideal for estimating whether a capital project (e.g. for a new hospital or a transport infrastructure project) is financially viable. Employers might include government departments, management consultancies, or property companies. Banking Actuaries are becoming increasingly involved in banking. For example, some of the leading insurance companies now have their own established banking operations, with actuaries filling some of the senior executive positions for finance and risk. The leading retail banks are also increasingly employing actuaries, as they recognise that the longer term approaches advocated by actuaries can add value to their businesses. As the insurance and Page 5 of 8
banking markets continue to converge, we can expect to see the demand for actuaries within banking fields continue to grow. Opportunities abroad The UK qualification is highly valued throughout the world. Of the qualified members of the UK profession, 60% are UK based, with the remainder overseas. TheIFoA works with other international actuarial bodies to arrange reciprocal recognition of the professional qualifications between the different bodies.
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A good life balance There is flexibility to balance professional commitments with personal interests.
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others may focus more on commercial activities. Most go on to be practising specialists in one of the traditional financial fields, with many becoming senior managers in insurance companies or firms of consultants.
Responsibility level Chief actuary, senior partner Senior function head, practice director Function head, practice head Department manager, managing consultant Section manager, senior consultant Section leader, consultant Senior actuary, junior consultant Actuary Student actuary
Average basic salary () 221,250+ 134,343 110,747 87,557 81,239 67,298 59,836 46,515 32,842
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