financial, actuarial and business consultants - …...to make rapid progress in your career. we set...
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See the world from a different perspective
GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES
An inside perspectiveFind out about our journey to a successful career at LCP.
High flying career 3
The journey ahead 5
Choose your destination 7
Together, we’re going places 9
Good times ahead 13
Helping you along the way 15
The right way forward 17
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Highflying career
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!
Name: Philippa
Department: Pensions Actuarial
Location: Winchester
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An inside perspective
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Interested? Then read on for a taster of what life could be like at LCP. And for more information, please visit our website at www.lcp.uk.com/graduatecareers, where you’ll find full details of how to apply as well as an application form.
Being chosen as a member of our select group of graduate trainees is the first step of your journey towards a successful career.
We are not so big to have lost the personal touch, so you’ll have no worries about being another faceless employee in a vast organisation. Yet we are large enough to offer you experience on a wide range of projects, including advising FTSE 100 and global companies, and the opportunity to make rapid progress in your career.
We set ourselves high professional standards, reflected in the fact that we have won the European Pensions Consultancy of the Year award in 2012 and a host of other awards. So whichever of our teams you choose to join, you can be sure 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 are a friendly, sociable firm and will go out of our way to help you fit in. We organise plenty of social and sporting events throughout the year, not to mention the ad hoc get togethers out of the office.
The first year has flown by and I have enjoyed every minute. The work is challenging, with opportunities to take on a variety of work for a wide range of clients.
Name: Emily
Department: Pensions Actuarial
Location: London
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An inside perspective
Thejourney ahead
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 www.lcp.uk.com/graduatecareers.
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 have the opportunity to join one of our three core departments, covering our specialist areas of Pensions, Investment and Insurance. Our Pensions department advises companies and trustees on their pension arrangements, including: valuing and managing accumulated pension commitments, advising on risk mitigation options, carrying out calculations for individual members, and advising on the impact of new legislation. Our Investment department 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 Insurance department involves giving advice to insurance companies on reserving and financial risk management.
Alternatively you can choose to join our cutting-edge “Business Analytics and Financial Modelling” team. This team specialises in developing models to help clients understand and develop solutions to complex problems in a range of business scenarios. Recently this team has been advising the government in relation to its electricity policy by modelling the UK energy market and quantifying the risk of black-outs. It also helps to develop the financial models used internally and externally by our Pensions and Investment departments.
We offer flexibility to move between teams if you wish, as well as occasional opportunities for secondments to our European offices.
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 or assessing the impact of unlikely events. 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 email or phone, or face-to-face at meetings or corporate events.
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The London office location is amazing. There are loads of great places to grab some lunch, or meet friends after work, and the transport links are fantastic too.
Name: Andy
Department: Pensions Actuarial
Location: London
Chooseyour destination
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An inside perspective
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.
London Lights As a growing firm, we have recently relocated our London office to a new, larger building on Wigmore Street. Not only is it an ideal business location with easy access to mainline rail and underground stations, it’s great for entertainment, dining and shopping. On our door step is the iconic Selfridges store, and we’re just moments away from Oxford Street - ideal for lunchtime shopping. There’s a wonderful selection of restaurants and bars situated down the many side streets, as well as fine traditional pubs, which are perfect for after-work socialising! And of course, you’re just a short hop from Central London’s many cultural attractions as well. Our London office provides a great work-life balance with something to suit everyone.
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 short train ride from today’s capital, our London office, and your colleagues.
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Together, we’re going places
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.
Name: Dave
Department: Pensions Actuarial
Location: London
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An inside perspective
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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 and flexibility to buy or sell your 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 occasional 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.
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A key element of LCP’s continued success is the quality of our people. We offer our graduates a structured training and development programme to help launch their careers as first class consultants.
LCP
Good times ahead
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.
Name: James
Department: Investment
Location: London
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An inside perspective
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 20 new graduate trainees every year, so it’s 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!”
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Helping you along the way
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.
Name: Hannah
Department: Pensions Actuarial
Location: London
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An inside perspective
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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 and presentation 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 and presentation skills, 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 40 days study leave each year, on top of the time you’ll need to sit the exams themselves.
Many graduates in our Investment and 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 you sitting exams more than once. And we certainly know how to have a good time when the results come out!
The right way forward
The application and interview process at LCP was really straightforward: one form, one interview day and no on-line tests! I was really impressed by how friendly everyone was on the assessment day and how relaxed they made me feel.
Name: Lauren
Department: Insurance
Location: London
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An inside perspective
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We hope by now you’ve decided you’d like to take things further. But first, please visit our website at www.lcp.uk.com/graduatecareers 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 will typically include a group exercise and formal interviews typically with a consultant and one of the firm’s partners, as well as exercises designed to test your business awareness, problem solving and communication skills.
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 020 7439 2266. Or email us at [email protected]
We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
Get in touch Call our graduate recruitment coordinator on 020 7439 2266 Email us at [email protected] Apply now at www.lcp.uk.com/graduatecareers Send us a tweet @LCP_Actuaries using #LCPGrads
We’re looking forward to hearing from you.Use this QR code and go straight to the website via your mobile or to learn more about our opportunities and to apply online.
Lane Clark & Peacock LLP
London, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7439 2266
LCP Libera AG
Zürich, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)43 817 73 00
Lane Clark & Peacock LLP
Winchester, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1962 870060
LCP Libera AG
Basel, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)61 205 74 00
Lane Clark & Peacock Belgium CVBA
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 761 45 45
LCP Asalis AG
Zürich, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)43 344 42 10
Lane Clark & Peacock Ireland Limited
Dublin, Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)1 614 43 93
Lane Clark & Peacock UAE
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Tel: +971 (0)2 658 7671
Lane Clark & Peacock Netherlands B.V.
Utrecht, Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)30 256 76 30
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All rights to this document are reserved to Lane Clark & Peacock LLP (“LCP”). This document may be reproduced in whole or in part, provided prominent acknowledgement of the source is given.
LCP is part of the Alexander Forbes Group, a leading independent provider of financial and risk services. Lane Clark & Peacock LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales
with registered number OC301436. LCP is a registered trademark in the UK (Regd. TM No 2315442) and in the EU (Regd. TM No 002935583). All partners are members of
Lane Clark & Peacock LLP. A list of members’ names is available for inspection at 95 Wigmore Street W1U 1DQ, the firm’s principal place of business and registered office. The firm is regulated by
the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in respect of a range of investment business activities. The firm is not authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 but we are able in certain
circumstances to offer a limited range of investment services to clients because we are licensed by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. We can provide these investment services if they are an
incidental part of the professional services we have been engaged to provide. Lane Clark & Peacock UAE operates under legal name “Lane Clark & Peacock Belgium – Abu Dhabi, Foreign Branch of
Belgium”. © Lane Clark & Peacock LLP 2013.
LCP is a firm of financial, actuarial and business consultants, specialising in the areas of pensions, investment,
insurance and business analytics.