Work permits!

I read in "The Actuary" (Jan/Feb 07) on page 24 that it is increasingly more difficult for foreign nationals to find an employer and therefore qualify as FIA/FFA in UK.
Does anyone know how to satisfy the Work based requirement in this case after having passed or been exempted from most of the exams?

 

Regarding paperwork; if you can demonstrate to an employer that you're the best person for the job you should be fine. Look for larger companies - especially multinationals - as they will have gone through the process before.

Alternatively, you can obtain an FIA from pretty much anywhere in the world. There's a large following in South Africa for example, so there's no need to be UK-based.

The Institue may be able to give you more details on the work based skills requirements. Just don't expect a quick reply from them!

 

A little bit of info

Being a student from SA I feel your pain on getting a job in the UK - it took me 3 years to manage it whilst working at a pensions consultancy in SA. Best advice I can give when you need a UK work permit is to contact companies directly rather than going through recruitment agents or ask someone to hand in your CV on your behalf. Agents often go through HR contacts - work permits just sounds like too much hard work and your CV almost never reaches the person making the employment decision.

Once you have found the willing employer, the permits are a matter of (loads of) paperwork.

SA is a different story though - the government has recently released a skills short list which mentions 500 actuarial / financial analyst work permits. As opposed to the UK where you need to find a prospective employer willing to go through the effort of applying for your permit, in SA you can apply for the permit before having a job (only requirement is that you find one within 3 months of entering the country). Best to check out the qualification requirements before you book your ticket though...

Can't comment on Aus (our countries are on bad terms after the recent cricket WC)

 

Thx Meldemon,

I trust this gonna help

Cheers