Actuarial Analyst Review

I am responsible for query management in which a Pensions administrator would send a request for a cetv (cash equivalent transfer value) or a retirement calculation for a member at a certain date. I have 6 client teams in which the work or type of calculation can vary. I am also on a longevity swap team for one of my clients in which most of my work is either monthly (first 3 days of the month) or quarterly.

I have learnt a vast use of Microsoft Excel as well as word and PowerPoint. Most of the work I do day to day revolved around using spreadsheets or models to calculate somthing. This means I have strengthened my keen eye for detail as I may have to spot for any errors when checking work that the pensions admin may pass over to Aon.

I enjoy the culture of the company as it is a friendly environment and I feel welcome by my colleagues both in my client teams and on my floor. It is better than the expectations that I had, it is extremely challenging in terms of the technical work but it is also fulfilling when you complete a piece of work and learn something new - especially when colleagues thank you for your work.

I feel valued as I get recognition from both my manager and my colleagues. I am regularly involved in client team meetings and discussions , as well as the monthly meetings we have within our overall teams. It is a place where we are all able to freely talk about nay problems or give any advice to the rest of our colleaues.

The induction process was absolutely amazing as there is a 2 week where all the Apprentices across the country are put together and we all get to know one another. The first week is getting to know each other, and the second week is where we meet our support team and our managers and start to get into the technical part of our apprenticehsip. Every month I have a call with my skills coach who helps me with any queries i may have, we also discuss the logbook that I do every month as well how my study is going. We also have tutorials which are helpful and , the study support is good as there are videos for all the chapters and intro as well as progress tests.

The training provider BPP provides a vast amount of support in terms of the team that are available for us to use. For example Every month I have a call with my skills coach who helps me with any queries i may have, we also discuss the logbook that I do every month as well how my study is going. We also have tutorials which are helpful and , the study support is good as there are videos for all the chapters and intro as well as progress tests.

I receive quite a lot of support from the people at Aon. My colleaues are very helpful and always eager to help out. The HR team constantly measures the workload we have in terms of a RAG- ing sysem, where we list our current workload as Red, Amber or Green. This is used to make sure we have enough work or even varying work which is challenging and stimulatin. As well as this there are regular training sessions and online webinars on relevant topics which we can attend and sign up for to further gain new knowledge or advance our skills.

The salary i receive(£20,000) is a reasonable amount given the industry average and other companies offer somnewhere in the range of £14k to £18k for other types of apprenticehsips. I live at home so the living costs don't affect me. Travel is made slightly cheaper with an Apprentice osyter card, which i get a 20% discount of monthly passes. After that I have more than enough to save and then spend on anything i desire. The location is suitable as well, as it is a straight overground train from where i live.

There a lot of events that people can attend. This can be company events for example the Annual Pension Conference which Aon hosted, we were given an opportunity to attend and help out. As well as this there are a lot of social events set up by colleagues for example an escape room with the client teams , and occasional drinks out and stuff. There also voluntary initiatives such as Marathons which colleagues can help donate and get involved with.

Yes

I see this apprenticeship as a greater alternative than going to University in which an individual would not only gain experience but they would be getting paid a competitive salary and gaining a professional qualification. University in my eyes is a less of an opportunity as the costs are increasing , and getting a degree doesn't guarantee you with a job as you may not have the relevant if any experience to get a job that you studied x amount of years for.

Aon partners up with a charity called Spiral in which they help sixth form / college students and they come into the office for 4 days during February half term and learn about the different types of Apprenticeships available and a taster of what they would be doing in that job role. As well as this having attended this , you gain a guaranteed space at the Assessment centre if you apply. This is how i heard about Aon and what they offer, and how i got into the apprenticeship and the reason why i chose to do it.