Long story short - as an insurance underwriter I feel my maths should be stronger than it is and at a personal level it is a subject that interests me and I want to take further.
To this end, my work has agreed to fund an A Level course and exams for me so the question is - a quick online search brings up a huge number of providers all of whom promise the earth and are very happy to take my (employers) hard earned.
So - any recommendations as to which one to sign up with?
A-level? OK.
I was going to suggest Coursera or HarvardX. Courses I’ve done on various topics have been well served by some of their offerings.
iDK if they still do, but they used to have the option to ‘audit’ the classes - view the materials but not do the assessments or be graded and certified. This can be helpful in assessing how suitable the course will be for you. For example, one data science course I looked at on one was terrible imo. A similar course on the other was much more suitable.
check out the OU. As well as their paid courses they have free resources that might be a helpful taster.
good luck!
edit. I’d forgotten about mooc list. https://www.mooc-list.com
edit edit. As an underwriter are you sure you want maths and not stats? The latter might be more appropriate? And if it has to be A-level I’d ask a maths teacher.
Thanks for your thoughts. It doesn't *have* to be an A Level, simply I just feel I never quite achieved what I was capable of at school and now have the chance to remedy that.
And to be really good at stats a solid foundation in general maths is useful.
I am open to suggestions for other qualifications though, I'm not 100% wedded to it being an A Level
Having done A level maths a million years ago, I'm not sure stuff like differentiation is going to be that useful for underwriting? I'd be tempted to say look at the syllabus or past papers to see if the subject will do what you think you need.
Have you done M92 at dip level? (CII qualification).
That's got some maths content - it's not A level standard but leads you into understanding client accounts and CORs etc. I've been teaching it for over a decade and I think it's useful.
Less serious answer is, surely as a commercial underwriter all you need to do is pull the handle on your pricing machine and see what pops up 😀
Having done A level maths a million years ago, I'm not sure stuff like differentiation is going to be that useful for underwriting?
It's more the personal challenge if I'm honest and to just be better at it.
I agree that much of the syllabus isn't directly relevant however I'd like to have a broader mathematical skillset.
As to the pricing engines - I'm the one that's written them all. I've basically spent the last year building an entire professional liability department from the ground up - wordings, pricing, underwriting rules and authorities, risk appetite. The whole shooting match.
It's been challenging but fun and not something I ever thought I'd get the opportunity to do - not at this level.
So I feel I've earned the right to just put the risk details in to get the price 😀
What's your current level at?
I ask this because, well, I'd consider myself "good at maths" if we're talking relatively. Like, people hate maths. One of my passions is escape rooms and I enjoy a maths puzzle, this marks me as an outlier in the community because they're almost universally despised.
Anecdotally, I really enjoyed GCSE Maths, but when I got to A' Level it killed me. I think part of it was simply having two poor lecturers, but vast tracts of it made absolutely no sense to me. Still don't.
If you're already 'good' at Maths and are looking for an advanced course then A' Levels may be the way to go. If as you say you "never quite achieved what I was capable of at school " and your eyes glaze over as soon as you have letters instead of numbers, then Pure & Applied Mathematics it's likely a poor choice as it requires a solid foundation.
If you're prepared to consider alternatives to A-levels, Mrs Reeksy taught economics, MBAs, etc for many years, but more recently is guiding my kids through homeschooling and has found good options. The Americans (sharp intake of breath!) are very good at this. My eldest does Art of Problem Solving (AOPS) math/s - it's supposed to be good because it's deeper and more involved than just learning the processes and may therefore be an antidote to what Cougar mentions above (definitely an issue for me). They don't do adult-specific courses, but you can buy their books and work at your own pace (which may be problematic depending on your mindset I suppose).
Thanks all. Some useful food for thought.
Coursera looks interesting and I could most likely get membership to that funded.
The A Level thing is more a personal challenge that I just want to crack for some reason and given I can get it paid for I'm very tempted.
I know the work it entails though so I'll have a good think on it 🙂
Not surprisingly, as some one teaches an A-level, I’m a bit more positive
I think you know that nothing in that A-level will be directly applicable to what you are trying to do at work. But i loved doing A-level maths, just as an exercise in thinking. So whilst i don’t think it will be directly relevant to your job, it should improve your thinking.
My analogy here is “why do professional footballers do weight training when they never encounter heavy pieces of metal, to move, when they are doing their actual job”
You really do need the correct course/teacher. Lots of the courses will my geared towards passing, not the joy of maths and making links.
Would it be possible to find a local tutor and enter as a private candidate. If you could find the right person to do 121 for an hour a week that might work. Some one with experience of the subject and an enthusiasm for it.
Khan academy covers lots of maths for free. Physics and maths tutor has tons of free resources
I work in FE teaching English. I'd suggest popping along to your local collages' open days, chatting to the lecturers and doing some assessments. There'll be open days, taster sessions etc up to the end of term. I'm sure the maths teachers will be happy to chat to you and point you in the right direction.
I love having people in my classes who genuinely want to be there and enjoy language and literature. They have more enthusiasm than the people who just need the qualification to progress to another stage.
Khan academy covers lots of maths for free. Physics and maths tutor has tons of free resources
Big Khan Academy fan.
121 tuition sounds like a good idea however I'm not sure whether the work budget will stretch that far. I can ask though.
And yes, it's the mental challenge and the satisfaction of ticking off something I never thought I would get chance to revisit.
And of course, general problem solving etc is highly relevant to my role as an underwriter and I am now at a level where some of what I do is bordering on actuarial rather than simply underwriting risks as I'm responsible for the entire pricing philosophy and ensuring that hits the P&L forecasts.
Get an account on EdX, they're free.
They do an online a level maths course run by London Imperial, well actually 4.
Year 12 pure, year 12 applied, year 13 pure, year 13 applied.
You can pay to do the courses or you can "audit" them which means access to the materials without a certificate at the end.
Tempted myself too. Very similar situation. Got an e at a level 30 years ago after discovering lots of fun distractions. Tempted to give it another shot and enter the a level private entry, maybe next year.
Let me know if you want a study buddy.
Awesome. Thank you 🙂
Just refreshing my GSCE level stuff with Khan Academy and I have the CGP book bridging GCSE and A Level maths and will look at this too.
Do you get access to a tutor etc with this course?
Have you done M92 at dip level? (CII qualification).
That's not a bad shout actually.
I am DipCII but now being in my 50's and at such a senior level my progression any further would not be helped or hindered by being ACII I've not really considered doing any more modules.
However M92 would be very helpful with the some of my skills gaps I have at the level I've somehow been promoted to.
Still don't quite know how I've ended up as class underwriter for an insurer but yet here I am!
In my wife's experience of over 30 years in commercial insurance sales - underwriters need to get out of the office and sit in front of customers and try to explain why x and y are no longer covered when x and y were covered for years and no claims have been made! 😜
A day doesn't go by when she doesn't moan about underwriters and their weird logic! 😀
In my wife's experience of over 30 years in commercial insurance sales - underwriters need to get out of the office and sit in front of customers and try to explain why x and y are no longer covered
Doesn’t happen so much in the PII space as coverage is pretty stable and standard across the market.
That said, I love going on client visits and properly getting to understand their business etc. it’s a huge help when understanding complex risks.
And where I am currently the ultimate decision whether to cover something or not is mine alone. I am it now so I can’t hide behind a computer decision or pretend there’s someone more senior who is causing the problems 😂
