Pensions Administrator

Typical Salary

£15,000 To £30,000

Typical Hours

37 to 39 a week

evenings / weekends on shifts

How To Become a Pensions Administrator

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly

College / University

You'll usually need:

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You may be able to do an advanced apprenticeship as a workplace pension administrator or a financial services administrator.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start as an assistant administrator and do training on the job with organisations like the Pensions Management Institute and the Chartered Insurance Institute.

You can apply directly for vacancies. Employers will expect you to be good with numbers, know how to use common office software and be able to communicate well, both verbally and in writing. Some companies may prefer you to have at least two A levels.

Previous experience in customer service, accounts or office work would also be helpful.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

customer service skills
the ability to sell products and services
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to use your initiative
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
persistence and determination
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
excellent verbal communication skills
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

answering queries by phone, letter and email
using a computer system to check and update records
calculating the amount of money people will receive
processing money paid towards a person's pension
transferring benefits from one pension to another
arranging the payment of pensions
keeping up to date with pension and tax laws

Working Environment

You could work in a contact centre or in an office.

Career Path & Progression

You could further your career with a qualification in pensions administration or calculations.

With experience, you could become a team leader, supervisor or pensions manager. With further study, you could qualify as a financial adviser.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find more advice about working in pensions from Pension Careers.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.