Assistant Underwriter Review

I am responsible for preparation of yearly rolling bordereaux's so RSA can arrange reinsurance for the larger delegated schemes and deals they hold. A part of this is also quoting for terrorism for individual property's on these schemes and also being the first point of contact for brokers whenever they have any queries.

I have definitely developed my knowledge of general insurance through the CII exams and my use of excel and the Microsoft 365 suite has improved through my day to day job activities. The only thing it would be good to see would be sessions on how to improve softer skills and less of a reliance on online learning.

I thoroughly enjoy being an apprentice at such a large company, it gives you access to a much wider network of people to help you and gives you a lot more confidence when starting a new role. it used to be that the word apprentice had negative connotations and when I first started I just thought id be making cups of tea for people but its great to see how far companies have come on and that I was treated equally compared to members of my team who had been there 20+years. I also enjoyed the yearly full cohort socials that were put on so we could meet others from all the different RSA offices. What is disheartening though is that there is no structured scheme coming of the apprenticeship in terms of pay so you can often be left with the feeling that your are being underpaid.

All the learning is ran by a company called Davies. The program is made to last 18 months but with good progress you could finish it in 12 or it could take up to 24. There is no rush in completing any exams and if there are any performance concerns these are always raised with you.

This varies from department to department. I have one day a week fully booked of and i can choose to do whatever i want with this day whether it be studying, shadowing, attending events or coursework. im also free to attend compulsory meetings on other days of the week. however i know other areas of the business cant offer this level of flexibility so its definitely a good thing to ask your manager on how best it will work when you start. generally though RSA are very accommodating and will never say no to any reasonable CPD

minimal, this is something that needs to improve. i know a number of apprentices who would like to see in person study days brought back instead of everything being online. i know this is even worse for the finance apprentices studying the AAT

in my role particularly it doesn't and i dont believe the qualification lines up to the role however generally they tend to fit quite well.

twice a year apprentice networking events. not much else. You'll learn the insurance industry is very different whether you work in London or are in the regions. Hopefully this will change but since covid it never went back to how it was

Yes

okay pay, stable career

Be yourself, employers can see when you are putting on a personality in an interview. The questions you'll be asked are to do with RSAs key values so be sure to fully understand them. Always go with a few questions for the hiring manager and make them challenging, its a good way to stand out and make sure they remember you