Annual Salary
£32,000 to £70,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Science or STEM or go back to all job sectors
Actuaries work with companies and government departments, to help them forecast long-term financial costs and investment risks.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: between 8am and 6pm;
There will be
2.4% more Actuary jobs in 2027.
As an actuary, you could:
Possible green job
This job could help the environment.
For an actuary to be a green job, you could:
Find out more about green careers
You could work in an office, at a client's business or remotely.
You can get into this job through:
You could start by doing a degree before joining a graduate actuarial training scheme.
Most employers will look for a degree with a high level of mathematics. For example:
A course with a placement year or a summer internship will give you valuable experience and an advantage when you apply for work.
You could take a postgraduate degree in actuarial science that might allow you to qualify as an actuary in a shorter time.
Some actuarial companies may offer sponsorship for postgraduate courses.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to do an Actuarial Technician Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship or an Actuary Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship.
These take between 2 and 3 years to complete.
You'll usually need:
You may improve your chances of finding a trainee position if you have some work experience in an actuarial department. You can find details about internships and work placements through the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
You may be able to switch to actuarial work from a related profession, like risk management, accounting, financial services or business analysis. You would then follow an employer training programme to become a qualified actuary.
You can join the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries to begin training and to take professional exams as you progress.
You'll find more about careers in the actuarial profession from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
As your career develops, you could specialise in a particular field, like:insurance; healthcare; banking; data science
With experience, you could take on more responsibility for managing people or projects.
You might also work for the Government Actuary's Department, advising on public sector finances.
You may improve your chances of finding a trainee position if you have some work experience in an actuarial department. You can find details about internships and work placements through the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
You may be able to switch to actuarial work from a related profession, like risk management, financial services or business analysis. You would then follow an employer training programme to qualify.
The first step to qualifying as an actuary is to join the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) as a student member, and then study for professional exams whilst working as a trainee actuary.
You'll find more details about careers in the actuarial profession, training and case studies from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
You'll need: