Traditionally, insurance has not boasted the raciest reputation on the jobs market. Until recently, when the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) decided to rebrand the sector to job-hunters, renaming it ‘risk’. Think of Ben Stiller’s character in the movie Along Came Polly and you’ll get the general picture.
The CII’s new Discover Risk website promotes insurance as a top careers choice, offering a wealth of opportunities for graduates and school leavers alike, while an accompanying outreach programme has been touring a risk-based game around schools that gives that old family board-game a run for its money.
Talking of money, starting salaries in insurance are competitive, ranging from £17,250 for a call-centre operative to £28,500 for a graduate actuary. Senior managers in reinsurance and underwriting can earn up to £100,000.
What’s more, the sector is actively hiring. Only last week here on Guardian Careers, we reported the Saga Group is creating 800 jobs at its new centre in Hastings. Meanwhile, a range of leading insurance companies have opened their grad schemes to applications for another year.
The CII slogan suggests: “A career in insurance is a risk worth taking”. Find out more from our panel about the industry and what it can offer you in our live Q&A on 30 November at 1pm.
