Interested in a career in insurance but unsure about the types of jobs available? We’ve got you.
We’ll explain the different roles in insurance, taking you through:

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What is the insurance industry?
The insurance industry refers to all businesses that offer financial protection against risks. You can insure many things, whether that’s your health, holiday or pet.
Insurance is a type of risk management. Things happen and we can’t always prevent them, but insurance takes care of some of the associated expenses. With house insurance, for example, you can make a claim if your home’s damaged (as long as it’s something your policy covers).
Essentially, the insurance sector safeguards against things that could negatively affect individuals and organisations.
Insurance firms make their money by charging premiums to secure customers against an eventuality. You have to keep paying to stay insured. Although insurers must deliver on their policy promises, lots of people will pay for insurance but never make a claim.
The types of jobs in insurance
Interested in playing your part in the insurance sector? There are various types of jobs in the insurance industry, including:
Advisers
As an adviser, you’re there to help policyholders understand what they need to do when making a claim. In this role, you guide customers through their questions.
Actuaries
Actuaries are the main authority on premium pricing. They determine how likely something is to happen and analyse economic and mathematical risk factors to come up with the correct costings for the cover.
Investigators
Investigators sniff out fraudulent claims. They also assess whether compensation terms are met by the insurer and claimant.
Underwriters
Underwriters decide if applications get the green light. They sort through data and background evidence to check policies and make sure it’s appropriate to offer insurance.
Brokers
Insurance brokers work on behalf of clients to find the best deals, comparing the levels of cover and rates of competing firms. Typically, insurance brokers will make money via commissions from insurers.
Why it’s important to understand how roles in insurance differ
Every role in insurance requires different skills. Although you’ll use transferable skills across the sector, in some roles you’ll spend more of your time number-crunching while in others you’ll do more talking to clients.
Before you decide what position to go for, think about what excites you.
For example, if you’re passionate about getting to the heart of a situation and gathering evidence, you could be a great investigator. Likewise, if you’ve got an analytical mind, you might gravitate towards being an underwriter or actuary.
Insurance can place you in front of businesses and individuals, involve mining data for extensive periods or require you to put on a detective hat. Thinking about which activity appeals to you the most can give you an indication of which role will suit you.
Key takeaways
The insurance industry protects individuals and organisations against the financial impact of risk. Insurers cover many things including paying for private healthcare, the cost of car repairs or replacing stolen items. The exact risks insurers cover and the amount they’ll pay out will depend on what’s detailed in individual policies.
If you’d like to get involved, there are various roles in insurance. You could be the broker who helps somebody take out a policy or the adviser who supports somebody making a claim.
Want to make yourself stand out to employers in the sector? Check out our career advice for students and graduates. We’ve got tonnes of tips!
Discover available roles in insurance
Check our list of grad jobs within insurance and pensions specialisms and make your first move towards the industry. Start your career in insurance today.