Exam Counsellor

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) is seeking to appoint appropriate individuals to undertake examination counselling for student members who apply for this service after failing an examination. Examination counselling is only available for students in their final subject prior to qualifying as either an Associate or Fellow. The service allows students to request a written report only or a written report and a follow up telephone call.

Current vacancies

None

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Applications will be processed upon receipt.

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Task specification

Background

The IFoA is the UK’s only chartered professional body dedicated to educating, developing and regulating actuaries based around the globe. We have a worldwide membership of over 32,000 of which over 51% are student members. 47% of our membership and 66% of our students are based outside the UK, reflecting the increasingly global nature of actuarial practice.

Examination Counsellors are expected to:

  • Review the student’s script
  • Complete a written templated report within a tight timeframe (normally 3 weeks)
  • Offer constructive feedback to the individual in the report, with guidance on where improvements could be made in future examination attempts
  • Be available for a follow-up call with the student, if required.

Exam Counsellors will have access to:

  • The student’s script
  • A breakdown of the student’s marks
  • The Chief Examiner’s report for the examination subjects, which includes the marking guide
  • Access to the Education Actuaries for advice and guidance where and when required

Timelines

Examination counselling takes place after the exam results are released and is typically scheduled from December to February (in respect of an exam attempt in September) and July to September (April exams).

Person specification

The Examination Counsellor will be someone who:

  • is qualified as a Fellow.
  • has a sound understanding of the chosen subject area. Technical expertise is not required as counselling is not intended to be a tutorial on the materials
  • is able to provide advice and guidance on examination technique
  • recognises the needs of our students with cultural and language differences and the challenges faced by students in their studies
  • has good time management skills and works well to tight deadlines
  • has good attention to detail

We are particularly interested in recruiting for the following subjects/examinations:

  • General Insurance Reserving and Capital Modelling (SP7)
  • General Insurance Pricing (SP8)
  • General Insurance Advanced (SA3)
  • Pensions and Other Benefits (SA4)

Tenure and time commitment

Examination Counsellors will be appointed to a pool of counsellors for a period of three years. Because the demand for examination counselling will vary between subjects and examinations, the commitment will vary from one examination sitting to the next. Final allocation is based on the capacity and availability of individuals

This is a remunerated role and a fee will be paid

Mutually agreed services will be outlined in a ‘Schedule of services’ which will be provided to you on successful appointment. On successful completion of the services, you will be required to submit an invoice to the IFoA. The IFoA will provide you with a template invoice to use, and this invoice will be processed by a member of the IFoA’s Executive team. If you wish to view the ‘Schedule of services’ and the applicable terms and conditions, prior to expressing interest in this role, please contact the Quality team. Please note that this role is classified as a ‘Self-Employed Contractor’.

Additional information

The IFoA delivery team is made up of IFoA Executive staff and our volunteer community. Every individual who supports the IFoA, is valued, and are recognised, as part of our volunteer community and works in partnership with the IFoA Executive staff to deliver our strategy and Royal Charter, in line with our values

At the IFoA the term “volunteer” includes volunteers (members and non-members: lay), Office Holders, and Self Employed Contractors (paid roles).

Volunteering provides you with a wide range of opportunities. With all rights and opportunities come responsibilities and we ask all our volunteers to comply with the terms of the IFoA’s Governance Manual and Volunteer Information Pack (VIP). Before offering to provide support, please read through ‘what you need to know’. The key elements will be highlighted to you as part of your contract for services with the IFoA.