Dan F.

Trainee Actuary
Happy to mentor
Happy to be contacted

About me

Dan F.
Mathematics
Mathematics
Undergraduate
James
2009
United Kingdom

My employment

Trainee Actuary
Mercer Ltd
United Kingdom
2009
£26000

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A day in the life of a Trainee Actuary in the United Kingdom

How I found out about the job

Employer's website

The recruitment process

During my second year at York, in January 2008, I applied for an eight week Summer Placement at Mercer through their online application form. I was successful in the recruitment process which consisted of a telephone interview and an assessment day. The assessment day consisted of two interviews, (one of which was more an informal chat with some of the Trainee Actuaries), a presentation on a current financial topic, a business game with the other applicants and a short exam. Shortly after finishing my summer placement I was asked if I was interested in a permanent graduate position starting the following September, and the graduate role was confirmed (conditional on achieving a 2:1)

Courses taken since graduation

Student of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

Where I hope to be in 5 years

Eventually I will finish my exams and qualify as a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. With more experience there is also the opportunity to consult directly with clients.

My advice to students considering work

- Do lots of research to identify the career for you (don't just apply for everything and anything!)
- Strong IT skills
- Make lots of friends and contacts at York

What I do

For the most part, my job is carrying out actuarial calculations for Pension Schemes, mostly on Excel (although sometimes nothing beats a good old pen, paper and calculator!), then drafting reports and papers for clients communicating the results of the calculations. These papers are thoroughly checked and reviewed before being issued to the clients, often requiring a qualified Actuary to sign them out.

These calculations include;
- calculating the value of an individual's accrued pension in the scheme as a lump sum; calculating the current value of a scheme's liabilities; calculating the necessary numbers for a sponsoring employer to disclose in their accounts.

Skills I use and how I developed them

In my job and for the actuarial exams a strong mathematical background is, in my opinion, a necessity and most of the people in my team studied Mathematics at University.

What I like most

I enjoy the problem solving.

What I like least

Time recording and the exams!

Next steps...

If you like the look of Dan’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Dan a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Dan to be your mentor.

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