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Actuarial Trainee

NAME: Samuel Wickham
AGE: 24
JOB TITLE: Actuarial Assistant
UNIVERSITY: University of Liverpool
DEGREE: BSc Pure Mathematics

The beginning

I only really considered a career as an actuary after I’d graduated. There appeared to be so many options open to me, but none stood out quite so much as an actuarial career, one of the most notoriously challenging and demanding lines of work available to any enthusiastic and goal-driven graduate.

I’d attended a number of interviews at various firms in the space of a few months after graduating but the Cheltenham office of Barnett Waddingham stood out like no other. The interviewers made me feel instantly welcome and treated me as though I was a ‘part of the family’ and this sentiment has remained the same from my first day at work until now, almost two years later.

Work and responsibility

My involvement in client projects has grown significantly over time. I started by doing relatively simple calculations such as working out the cost of enhancing individual members’ benefits and now the work I do includes playing a large part in carrying out full actuarial valuations of pension schemes.

I am responsible for carrying out various tasks for clients, my contact with whom has grown over time, and recently I attended my first client meeting. I work equally closely with other junior members of the team as well as with qualified actuaries and partners of the firm. I am also responsible for training new graduates and giving presentations at team meetings, as well as representing the firm at careers’ fairs.

The Exams

Currently, I’ve only passed four out of the fifteen exams required to become a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries (FIA). Before taking the actuarial exams, I’d never experienced failing an exam so it was a shock to my system to encounter such failure, but since that initial setback I have been making steady progress. The exams cover a wide range of areas, such as economics, mathematics and statistics and also specialist areas such as pensions, investment and life insurance.

The support offered by Barnett Waddingham to their actuarial students is generous; study material and exam entry fees are paid for and a significant amount of time is allowed to be taken off work to study. If successful in the exams, the self-satisfaction experienced is complemented by financial rewards.

There is real team spirit in the office and this particularly shines through when the exam period hits and students are balancing study pressures and work demands.

Barnett Waddingham LLP

I am strongly of the opinion that a healthy social life is key in building relations with colleagues and ultimately increasing productivity. Barnett Waddingham runs an excellent social calendar, with various events occurring throughout the year such as inter-office sporting events (football, golf and netball amongst others), pub crawls and an epic Christmas party! Other random events are constantly organised on the side, an example of which is a group of us who went in convoy to Le Mans, France this summer to watch the annual 24-hour race that takes place there.