During your first few years, the focus is on passing exams and qualifying, whilst also doing your best to be an asset to the firm. Until you are qualified you cannot sign work off. However, you will work heavily in teams and with specific clients, mainly doing the more administrative tasks such as actuarial calculations. More senior employees will then check your work and incorporate it into the final product that they present to clients.

Once qualified, you will receive much more responsibility (and a much higher salary!). Depending on the firm, you may then be pushed to qualify as a fellow, which requires you to take additional exams and accumulate more experience. Some people prefer to stay as a qualified actuary; others push themselves to become scheme actuaries and partners. Some never qualify, but are manage to secure senior positions (they will do the work, but someone qualified will check it and sign it off.