💡 Why it matters: Insurance protects people from big losses like accidents or fires. Underwriters decide who to cover and at what price, so the company stays safe and fair.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to decline 4% from 2025 to 2035 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦2M – ₦4.5M
- Mid-career
- ₦5M – ₦12M
- Senior
- ₦12M – ₦28M
≈ ₦417k – ₦1M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Study applications for car, home or health cover
- Judge how likely a claim is to happen
- Set a fair price for the policy
- Explain decisions to agents and clients
- Review claims data to improve pricing
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Analysis
- Maths
- Judgement
- Attention to detail
- Communication
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Start as an insurance officer after OND or HND (National or Higher National Diploma from a polytechnic)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Level 4 Insurance Professional apprenticeship
- Start as an insurance administrator and study while you work
🇺🇸 United States
- Start as an underwriting assistant or claims trainee
- Some states require licences for certain insurance work (varies by state)
🇨🇦 Canada
- Start as an underwriting assistant at an insurer or broker
- Provincial insurance licensing for some roles (varies by province)
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Maths and Economics
- 2Take an insurance or finance degree
- 3Join an insurance company as a junior underwriter or officer
- 4Pass professional insurance exams
- 5Become a senior underwriter or head of risk
⏰ A day in the life
You read a request to insure a fleet of delivery motorbikes. You check their safety records, set a price and note the limits of the cover. Then you talk with an agent who disagrees with your price.