Insurance Underwriter
Also advertised as: Assistant Underwriter, Claims Handler, Commercial Underwriter, Insurance Broker, Insurance Underwriter, Risk Analyst
Decides which risks an insurer will cover and on what terms and price.
What the job involves
Underwriters weigh up risk. You review applications and claims history, apply rating rules and judgement, set premiums and conditions, and decline what does not fit appetite. Insurers recruit heavily from customer service and claims backgrounds.
Typical responsibilities
- Assess risk information on new and renewal cases
- Apply underwriting rules and pricing models
- Set terms, conditions and premiums
- Build relationships with brokers
- Monitor portfolio performance
Common employers
- Insurers
- Lloyd's syndicates
- Brokers
- Managing general agents
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£24,000 – £30,000 a year
With experience
£40,000 – £60,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours
Working environment
Office based with hybrid working
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Risk assessment
- Numeracy
- Judgement
- Negotiation
- Insurance regulation
Transferable skills you may already have
- Data checking
- Customer conversations
- Following criteria consistently
Requirements employers ask for
- Risk assessment
- Numeracy
- Judgement
- Negotiation
- Insurance regulation
- No formal qualification required
Useful but not essential
- Data checking
- Customer conversations
- Following criteria consistently
- CII Certificate or Diploma in Insurance
Helpful qualifications
- CII Certificate or Diploma in Insurance
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Insurance Practitioner (Level 3)
- Senior Insurance Professional (Level 6)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Business
- Related subject: Economics
- Related subject: Maths
- Related subject: Law
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Underwriter
next
Underwriting Manager
next
Portfolio Manager
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Clear professional exams paid for by employers
- Good hybrid working
- Strong mid-career pay
What people find hard
- Detail-heavy work
- Regulated and audited decisions
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a insurance underwriter?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. preferred
- How much does a insurance underwriter earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £24,000 to £30,000 a year, rising towards £60,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Data checking, Customer conversations, Following criteria consistently.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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