Graduate Underwriter Review

I work within a team and my allocated Buddy to complete new business quotes and renewals for commercial combined risks. I have been allocated specific cases to work through from start to finish with support from the team which gives me first-hand experience to learn on the job with real life examples.

My organisation skills have developed greatly whilst working at RSA, we have time constraints on the work we are doing so it is vital to stay organised and plan ahead. I also rely on my calendar heavily throughout the week which is something I didn't do prior to this role.

I really enjoy the programme and the different elements, as we have time away from our job role to study and engage with the other graduates and apprentices. The graduate scheme and those involved work hard to ensure that all grads are developing and enjoying their time at RSA AND WORK HARD TO FIX ANY ISSUES.

The programme is very well organised and structured. Virtual/ in person meetings are planned months ahead and sent straight to our calendars. The leaders of the programme make sure to get informative speakers in to talk to the graduates and we have opportunity to talk to those very high up in the business to get their perspective.

I receive masses of support from my employer and the management team within my office. The management are flexible and fair if you have outside of work needs. We have access to additional benefits provided by RSA. Training sessions both in person and online are provided weekly and we can join extra sessions if we need to or wish to.

The role includes 6 hours away from our job role each week to train and revise for exams that we are doing throughout the year. We are also allocated a mentor from a separate department within the business who we can discuss problems and concerns not relating to the role but also give any feedback for them to pass on.

The CII examinations and revisions help massively towards my role on a day to day basis. The books go into detail on specific terms that we see every day during work and gives a more in depth meaning to what we do and why we do it. It also gives us broader knowledge on other areas of the business to make us more adaptable to move around into other roles in the future.

We have networking events between the young people within our business and also within the industry at other insurers/ brokers. There is also opportunity to do 2 days a year of volunteering and charity work to help in the local community. Additionally, there are many fundraising events held within the office throughout the year for people to get involved in and have some time away from the desk.

Yes

RSA is a well-known employer and prior to joining I had only ever heard really positive things. Since joining the company, I have been made to feel extremely welcome and have been given great amounts of support to develop in my job role and also academically by being provided with the opportunity to complete a full CII course over three years. Unlike other apprenticeships/ graduate programmes, RSA guarantee a secure role for you to be able to stay in after the competition of the apprenticeship.

Having good communication skills and confidence is key to success as we have to be customer facing. If applying for an apprenticeship/ grad scheme, then don't be afraid to have no experience as long as you have a desire to learn and take in lots of new information- learning on the job and from books/ internet pages.