Trading Underwriter Review

Trading Underwriter - My daily role includes meeting with brokers to discuss upcoming Renewals and potential new business opportunities. Although I would say majority of my time (75/25) is spent in the office the variety of work is vast and there’s always something new to learn.

I have learnt many new skills while on my apprenticeship. Some of the skills used most in my role are around interpersonal skills. My role is focussed around providing insurance packages which suit the needs of our broker mutual clients. In order to make our offerings the best we need to be able to negotiate and sell. You quickly learn that confidence is key!

The programme is probably one of the best in the market, from what I've heard anyway. The problem is that many companies have caught onto Apprenticeships and now the competition is fierce. The program meets my needs in most ways, however there is not enough structure, requirements for development are rigid and not personal whatsoever (I.e. personal work performance > CII Qualifications)

Aviva values its employees and you really feel that here! The atmosphere is very friendly and people of all levels are approachable. If you ever have a problem Mangers are understanding you always have someone to speak should you need more support. There’s also some great networks which get employees involved to do some great things such there LGBT network.

The criteria of the programme seems organised from the start, however from the offset you realise this is not quite the case. Everybody is different and everybody’s learning is unique. The criteria set isn’t realistic for everybody, nor is it adaptable. In my opinion you have to make the decision of either becoming engulfed in the job, expanding your knowledge and skills OR focus mostly on your professional qualifications. It’s very hard to balance both equally. The Apprenticeship requirements certainly don’t take this into account on realistic basis.

Unfortunately in my time at Aviva I have had 2 tutors, both of which have left the company. I currently have no Tutor and work independently. Fortunately in my time with my tutors they did pass on a lot of knowledge and i feel very competent in my role because of this

Support from my team and employer as a whole outside of the programme is fantastic and everybody is very approachable. I feel confident that if ever I get stuck, or really feeling the pressure there is always someone to at hand to help and support you.

The Salary is not quiet inline with the market; based in London we do have London weighting allowance. However this is added to your salary as a separate item which is then taxed and is not made pensionable. There are definitly improvements here in order to remain comptetive in the market & within the company (I.E. PAY Progressions (Apprentices)VS Normal Slary)

There are loads of opportunities to get involved in here at Aviva. Just a few i have been on include The Three Peaks challenge by Rail & an exclusive invitation to the Stonewall awards 2014.

Yes

I would certainly recommend Aviva to anyone who wants to work for a company where they are highly employee focused, take into account their needs and offer fantastic opportunities within a global company to move around. It’s a very personal , family friendly company, unlike many.