Insurance Brokers act as intermediaries between those seeking insurance and those accepting the risks involved, and are independent of insurance companies. They have to liaise with individuals for personal insurance issues or with corporate clients for bigger insurance risks. Brokers can specialise in particular areas of insurance and will register to act. Lloyds' brokers are the only brokers allowed to operate at Lloyds' insurance market. Work involves generating business, placing risks, handling claims and providing technical back up. Some of these areas of work can be subdivided further, with some staff concentrating on client liaison and others on liaising with underwriters etc. Technical understanding of products and the ability to build close relationships with clients are important here. Your work may take you wherever your clients are, so negotiations can be anywhere in the world.

The work experience opportunities in insurance are limited especially with underwriters and brokers, for the latter you may need a more proactive approach networkingand applying speculatively. Look out for summer vacancies in the International Underwriting Association (IUA) which gives a good overview of the insurance market. If you cannot get experience with an insurance company, look anywhere in the financial sector where you will get the chance to find out about financial markets and work with clients. Concentrate on those areas where you can develop analytical and interpersonal skills. The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) also advertise summer placement opportunities through their Discover Risk website. The CII also offers a low-cost membership proposition called Discover membership. This is exclusively for UK university students and provides networking opportunities through events and social media, as well as market data.