If you start as a reserving grad in the London Market (i.e Catlin, Hiscox, Tokio Marine, Brit etc) how hard does it tend too be to move to consultancy in non life (i.e big 4 towers aon etc)? Is it easier to move before qualification?
Yes moving does tend to be easier before you qualify. Be prepared for the question why do you want to move across and what skills have you learned to date that will help your transition. Note I say skills; technical stuff can be taught.
Thanks for the response. From research I realised that not many people tend to take the route of moving from lloyds to consulting before qualification; would you say this was because consultancies prefer to hire people with consulting experience? or is it just that people just dont usually want to make the move?
Best people on the know are recruitment consultants. Pre qualification, particularly if you are at the cT stage of exams, I doubt they are looking for experience. It's more aptitude and first class communication skills dealing potentially with non specialists. I would imagine it's quite competitive to get in as a trainee in London market (although let's face it, it's not easy anywhere), and people are very committed to get in in the first place. That said, if it transpires its not for you the sooner a switch is made the better.