Are you ready to create a brighter future together?
At Zurich our brand purpose is exactly that, to create a brighter future together for our customers, our partners, employees and the planet. It’s a promise that for our customers we will put their needs at the heart of everything we do. For our employees – let’s grow and develop together, for our partners – let’s collaborate together to create mutual value, and for the planet – let’s drive positive impact by integrating our sustainability work into how we do business.
What can I look forward to?
You will be working in an actuarial role from day one, gaining experience working alongside a team of actuaries in either pricing, reporting, or risk management. Whichever team you start in won’t commit you to your final career pathway. We understand that it will take some time to find what truly makes you passionate about actuarial and what you most enjoy doing. As such we encourage our Life Actuarial Graduates to rotate between teams to understand the breadth of actuarial and how each team contributes to great customer protection and outcomes.
Within your role in the Life business at Zurich you will have the opportunity to work with life, health, pension, and investment products. This could include pricing new or existing products, providing actuarial support for group-wide projects, financial risk management and modelling, or reserving and financial reporting.
Throughout your training you will use a variety of data processing programmes and tools, you will present and communicate results to key and senior stakeholders, and you will document results, analysis, and controls.
What’s in it for you?
As well as joining a company that is passionate about sustainability and our customers, you can expect:
- £32,550 starting salary
- An excellent study support scheme
- 25 days holiday plus an additional 3 volunteering days
- Full private medical cover
- 12% company pension contribution
- Annual company bonus
- Discounted gym membership, discounted gadget insurance
- Discounted technology offers
In return you’ll be joining a business where creating a brighter, more sustainable future underpins all that we do here in Zurich. We’re also passionate about diversity and inclusion, which we have won numerous awards for. We want our people to bring the whole of themselves to work and everybody is made to feel welcome, regardless of their background, beliefs or culture.
What you’ll need:
- On course to achieve, or have recently achieved, a 2:1 degree or higher in any STEM or Economics subject
- At least 120 UCAS points – (or equivalent) from 3 A-level subjects which must include Maths at grade A
- A* to C grade (9 to 4) in Maths and English GCSE
- Excellent numerical and analytical skills, the ability to learn new technical skills and be comfortable with large amounts of data
- Willingness to work towards achieving FIA – Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries professional qualification
We find that the best future actuaries are those with an analytical and logical mindset, who are comfortable with mathematical concepts, and have an eye for detail.
As a Life Actuarial Graduate, we’ll be looking to develop both your understanding of the actuarial profession and technical knowledge. Through practical training in the office and through supporting you to pass the professional qualifications. To be successful in this you will need a high-level of numeracy skills, to be comfortable with a large amount of data, and most importantly be driven and motivated to pass all the required exams.
What support will I receive?
To help you pass the exams we provide a generous allowance of paid study days, up to a maximum of 52 a year depending on the exams chosen. We recognise that passing exams is important to you and strive to give you the required time to do so, especially around exam time. In addition to paid study days, we also cover all the financial costs to qualify. This can include exam fees, study materials, tutorials, mock exams, professional membership, and required travel.
We are serious about investing in our people. As such we run a mentoring scheme to help guide you through your early experiences and give you advice with structuring your exam and revision time. Your mentor should also be able to advise you on office performance. Working in a team alongside qualified actuaries will give you the best professional experience and we always encourage questions; the best students seek to understand what it is they are doing and why they are doing it.
Additionally, the Zurich Graduate Scheme will help to develop your non-actuarial skills. Presenting, communication, influencing others, planning out what you want from your career. This will aid you in becoming more well-rounded in your skill set and give business experience to those who may feel their current experience is limited to mathematics and technical analysis. Which are admittedly the most important building blocks towards being a good actuary.
The study scheme includes structured rotations between teams and twice annual salary reviews to ensure you’re rewarded for your exam successes, office performance, and future potential. At Zurich sustainability is at the heart of what we do, and as Life insurance is all about the long-term view, we have a tangible connection to supporting both the planet and our communities. As such we offer 3 days a year for you to commit to volunteering your time to causes that matter, above the study days and holidays.
Where will I be based?
Covid has changed the way everyone works. As such we have moved to a hybrid work model of splitting time between working from home and the office. This allows us to be flexible with our time and lifestyle but also to help separate personal and work life to ensure good mental health and wellbeing. Your office will be based in the newly built Swindon office which is conveniently situated 300 metres from Swindon train station and a 4 mile drive off the M4.
Here, you’ll have every opportunity to use your drive and enthusiasm to innovate the future of Zurich where different opinions are valued, personal needs are respected, and opportunity is equal for all.
So, make a difference. Be challenged. Be inspired. Be supported, Love what you do. Work for us.