Why did I choose the actuarial profession?

When trying to decide on a career to work towards, a family friend suggested I look into the Actuarial profession. After a lot of research, I decided that this was the route I wanted to take. Having always enjoyed mathematics and exploring financial risks, I found that this profession would be perfect to allow me to be continuously challenged.

What attracted me to APR?

The possibility of working on different projects and for different companies was the main reason that I pursued an application with APR. I was unsure of the area of Actuarial work that I wanted to specialise in, and APR allowed me to explore many different options. Another key factor was APR’s exam record. They have repeatedly outperformed the industry, to me that was evidence of the high quality of training that APR could offer me.

How did I find the recruitment process?

Initially I submitted my CV and covering letter through the website and was then invited to complete a numerical online test. Following this I had a telephone interview and an assessment centre with current Actuarial Associates. At the assessment centre, I was able to talk through the role and ask any questions I had about APR to ensure that I thought APR was a good fit for me, not just that I was a good fit for APR. The whole process was relatively straightforward compared to other applications I went through.

What was my first year at APR like?

Following an intense 6-week induction training, I was sent out on a project. The training was invaluable and ensured that I did not feel out of depth when starting on the project, despite being given responsibility much sooner than I would have elsewhere. All of our partners took at least one training session, which allowed us all to interact with those at the top running the company, and this ability to closely interact with them has continued throughout my time at APR.

My first project involved validating customer data and calculating related charges that would be sent out on customer’s regulatory annual statements, working closely with other departments and the client’s data provider. I was part of a team made up of the client’s own staff alongside other APR associates and contractors, all of whom were extremely supportive during my first few months. Following the end of this project, I was moved to a different project within the same company which allowed me to expand on the coding skills I had learned in training to improve models used by the BAU teams.

I was also able to get involved in some of the in-house work at APR having joined the Health and Wellbeing team. Being part of this team showed that the company, in line with the ‘We Nurture’ value, prioritises the wellbeing of us employees, which was particularly comforting given the unusual circumstances of 2020.