Deal yourself a. winning hand. Graduate opportunities with

Transcription

1 Deal yourself a winning hand Graduate opportunities with

2 I started at LCP two years ago, but it seems like it was only yesterday! The time has flown by and I have loved every minute of it. The work is interesting and varied and the atmosphere in the office is brilliant. Robert, Pensions Actuarial, Winchester

3 Risk...and reward There are few things that are certain in this world. Which is lucky for actuaries and consultants like us we d be out of a job otherwise. But just as being dealt a Royal Flush is the nearest you ll get to a sure-fire bet in poker, being chosen as a member of our select group of graduate trainees must be the closest you can get to a sure thing in getting started in a high flying career. We are not so big to have lost the personal touch, so you ll have no worries about being just one more faceless employee in a vast organisation. Yet we are large enough to be able to offer you experience on a wide range of projects with a variety of clients, including FTSE and global companies, as well as the opportunity to make rapid progress in your career. We set ourselves high professional standards, reflected in the fact that we have won the Actuarial Consultancy of the Year at the UK Pensions Awards for 5, and 7, also adding the award for Investment Consultancy of the Year in 7. And we set very high standards for the graduate trainees we take on. So whether you join our Pensions, Investment or General Insurance team you ll be working with some of the very best and brightest in their field. Of course, it s not all work and no play here at LCP. We like to think of ourselves as a friendly, sociable firm. We go out of our way to help you fit in and make you feel at home. And we organise plenty of social and sporting events throughout the year, not to mention the ad hoc get togethers out of the office. It s no coincidence that our London and Winchester offices are both set within easy reach of the many attractions they have to offer. Interested? Then read on for a taster of what life could be like at LCP. And for more information, please visit our website at where you ll find full details of how to apply as well as an application form

4 A career here is what you make of it. There are so many opportunities to get involved and to progress in what interests you, and if you are doing well it is noticed. I m looking forward to the next few years! Philippa, Pensions Actuarial, Winchester

5 A day in the life So what is working at LCP really like? The best way to find out is to chat to someone who already works here at one of the informal talks we re holding or at the careers fairs we re attending. Find out more about these on our website at In general the work we do involves assessing the risks associated with future events and advising clients on how much money they should set aside now to be able to cover uncertain payments in the future and how that money should be invested. You ll be involved in building complex models to supply the answers and then communicating these to our clients in a way that s easy to understand. Communication skills are highly valued here, as you can imagine. Teamwork You ll be working in one of three teams, covering our specialist areas of Pensions, Investment and General Insurance. Our Pensions team advises companies and trustees on designing pension schemes, valuing and managing accumulated pension commitments, the impact of new legislation, and the pensions implications of mergers and acquisitions. Our Investment team helps companies and trustees to manage risk and decide on the best way to manage the assets of their pension funds. And the work of our General Insurance team involves giving advice to insurance companies on reserving and financial risk management. We also have a new Financial Dynamics practice which works on a wide range of projects, from valuing points from loyalty schemes to estimating the reserves needed to cover future costs of nuclear decommissioning. Whichever of our established teams you are a member of, you will also have the chance to work on projects within our new Financial Dynamics practice and also to move from team to team as your career develops. Different every day One of the great benefits of working for LCP is the variety of projects you ll be working on and the range of tasks involved in completing them. For example, you could be helping with pension scheme valuations, monitoring investment manager performance, assessing the impact of unlikely events or putting a value to brand names. You could be building a spreadsheet model, using our own software, drafting letters to clients or writing full reports. There are also plenty of opportunities for client contact, right from early on in your career, whether by or phone, or face-to-face at meetings or corporate events.

6 The London office location is amazing, being right in the heart of Mayfair. There are loads of great places to grab some lunch, or meet friends after work, and the transport links are fantastic too. Andy, Pensions Actuarial, London

7 A tale of two cities Are you looking forward to moving to the bright lights and fast pace of the metropolis? Or perhaps you prefer the more laid-back atmosphere of an ancient English city. Working as one company out of our offices in both London and Winchester, we can offer you a distinct choice of lifestyle. And whichever office you call your base, there will always be plenty of opportunities to visit your colleagues in the other. Advance to Mayfair Our larger office is in Old Burlington Street, in the heart of Mayfair, London s most exclusive district and now home to many of the world s most innovative and dynamic financial operators. On the doorstep is Savile Row (great for suits) and Bond Street (great for upmarket shopping). Just a few minutes walk away are Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Oxford Street and all the other popular West End haunts perfect for lunchtime shopping and after-work socialising. And of course, you re just a short hop from Central London s many cultural attractions as well. The Cathedral City Winchester was once the capital city of England and home to King Alfred the Great. There are still many reminders of the long history of this quintessentially English city in its cobbled streets and the famous cathedral, which dates from the 7th century. Our office is right next door to the train station and city centre, where modern high street shops, bars and top-class restaurants jostle for space among the picturesque ancient buildings. It s a great place to enjoy a London career with a country lifestyle. If you re into sailing then Southampton and its link to the Isle of Wight, home to Cowes Week, are just a short journey away. Bournemouth, the New Forest and waterfront shopping at Portsmouth s Gunwharf Quay are also all close by. With a direct line to London from the nearby train station, the old capital city is just a simple ride from today s capital, our London office, and your colleagues.

8 Everyone always has time to help, no matter how junior or senior! I ve learnt so much thanks to the variety of work I ve had and the excellent work and study support provided. Dave, Pensions Actuarial, London

9 Not just a number Working in a smaller, specialist firm like LCP means you will never feel like a cog in a vast machine. From the very first day you will be valued, actively involved and expected to make your own contribution to meeting the needs of our clients. Whether analysing complex data, brainstorming creative initiatives or undertaking client research you will be making a difference. And we have our own buddy system to help you fit in smoothly. A wide variety of experience... You could say that our most important assets walk in and out of our offices every day, so it s vital that everyone who works here feels themselves an essential part of the firm. That applies as much to our graduate trainees as to anyone else. You will have contact at all levels of the firm, from your fellow trainees to our partners. We make sure your work will be as varied as possible. You ll be working as a member of a number of different teams each assigned to a different client. So, for example, you could be working with one of the firm s partners on the negotiations for a large and complex merger, and with another explaining a pension plan to a senior client executive....and a very attractive package Naturally, being a valued member of the firm means you will earn a very competitive package of benefits. Your starting salary will be among the best in our industry. You can look forward to annual pay rises and bonuses linked to your performance and commitment plus an escalating holiday entitlement. You will be entitled to an attractive life and permanent health assurance scheme as well as a generous pension plan and season ticket loan. Plus we offer opportunities to work overseas and the potential to take career breaks. Of course, you ll also benefit from our structured career development programme, and excellent study package supporting you towards your professional qualification

10 There s a big social aspect to working at LCP and everyone is keen to get involved with the numerous activities and sporting events. It really is the people that make LCP such a great company to work for and it s them that make post-work drinks in the West End so enjoyable. James, Investment, London

11 Out of hours It s important to us that you enjoy working at LCP. Obviously that means the work you do will be interesting and challenging, involving plenty of interaction with your colleagues and as much contact with clients as possible. But just as important are the people you ll be working with and the general atmosphere in the office. Friendly, sociable and like-minded We re very choosy about the type of person we take on at LCP. You ll need to be highly numerate - that goes without saying - with a very strong academic record. Beyond that, we re looking for graduates with good people skills team players with the ability to communicate at all levels. We take on around 5 new graduate trainees every year, so its reassuring to know there will be plenty of other people in a similar situation to you. We go out of our way to help all our new graduate trainees to fit in and make the most of the opportunities on offer here. We also pay special attention to the social side of things, and there s always something going on, whether you re based in London or Winchester. Work hard, play harder Our graduate trainees have been used to the good social life you find at university and naturally that s something they don t want to lose when they leave. We expect you to work hard, naturally, and there s a lot of studying involved for the professional exams. But after work there are plenty of opportunities to let off a little steam. We have company teams for a number of sports such as football, cricket and netball. And we re open to more suggestions. We also organise a wide variety of social events throughout the year anything from ten pin bowling, table football and pool competitions to karaoke, pub quizzes and pizza in the park! There are lots of informal events too, and plenty of invitations to drinks after work. You ll certainly never be stuck for somewhere to go on a Friday night. As one of our recent graduate trainees so elegantly put it: the phrase work hard and play hard at university has simply become work hard and play even harder!

12 LCP is a great place to learn. You re given a variety of things to do without being overloaded. The training you receive is invaluable and very well structured giving you a solid foundation of knowledge. Hannah, Pensions Actuarial, London

13 Your career path We expect big things from the graduates we take on each year. We will only choose you if we think you have what it takes to progress quickly, to qualify as a fully-fledged professional and hopefully to carry on to become a partner here at LCP. Fortunately there is plenty we can do to help you at every stage of your development to ensure you achieve this. Our training programme Our graduate training programme lasts three years, and features a series of scheduled training sessions. These cover a wide range of areas of professional expertise as well as in-depth technical training and courses in specialist computing skills. At the same time, we ll give you training in a variety of non-technical areas to help you develop your management skills. Of course, much of your training will be on the job, and we make sure this is structured to offer you the widest possible experience in all aspects of what we do. Finally we have an in-house mentoring system, so there is always someone you can ask if anything seems unclear. You ll be amazed at how quickly you ll be putting what you learn to good use in your everyday work. Your route to a professional qualification Right now the prospect of having to do more exams after you ve finished your degree is probably not something you want to think too deeply about. But the exams you ll need to take to qualify as an actuary are far removed from the ones you had to suffer at university. Today s exams are all about giving you the practical knowledge you ll need every day. Some of the exams are technical and mathematical while others are more to do with written communication, but all are focused on giving you the tools you ll need to succeed in your actuarial career. What s more, our very generous study package is designed to help you at every stage of your training. We ll give you a study budget for each course you take that will cover all the costs involved. And you ll get a full days study leave each year, on top of the time you ll need to sit the exams themselves. Many graduates in our Investment and General Insurance teams choose to study for the Chartered Financial Analyst and Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute qualifications respectively, rather than for the actuarial qualification. If this is something that appeals to you, we will support you in this. Now, a quick word of reassurance. Very few people pass all their exams first time and you won t be under any pressure to do so. Our study programme makes allowances for your sitting exams more than once. And we certainly know how to have a good time when the results come out!

14 I found the LCP graduate recruitment process refreshingly straightforward. The assessment day was really well structured and it gave me a great opportunity to meet the people I would be working with. David, General Insurance, London

15 Decision time We hope by now you ve decided you d like to take things further. But first, please visit our website at where you ll be able to find out more about our graduate training programme, and the selection requirements. You ll also be able to download an application form, together with full details of how to apply. Our selection process Once you ve submitted your application, and if you make the shortlist, we ll invite you to take part in one of our assessment days. These are not just about us getting to know you; they re also a chance for you to see our offices, meet some of our people and get a better feel for LCP. The assessment day includes a group exercise and formal interviews with a consultant and typically one of the firm s partners. There s also an abstract reasoning test, which will give you the chance to demonstrate your problem-solving skills. You ll find a test-taker s guide for this on our website. Just as important is the opportunity you ll have to meet people at all levels of LCP and to take a tour of the office. You could be spending a lot of time here, so it s vital you re happy with your surroundings. We ll also invite you to lunch with some of our current graduate trainees, who ll be glad to share their experiences of working for LCP. What s it really like to be here? Are the exams really all that demanding? Is the environment really as friendly and sociable as we like to claim? What you learn here could be the clincher in your decision to come and work for us, so you can be as frank and fearless as you like in your questions. Following the assessment day we ll let you know very quickly whether we ll be offering you a position. We don t believe in keeping you hanging on. Get in touch If you still have some questions, even before sending us your application, we re happy for you to ask away. We like enquiring minds! Just call our graduate recruitment coordinator on 79. Or us at graduatecareers@lcp.uk.com. We re looking forward to hearing from you.

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