Graduate and apprenticeship process

The specific office locations where we are currently recruiting for our graduate schemes are mentioned in the respective job advertisements. For further information, please visit our dedicated Graduate and Apprenticeship page.

Our academic requirements differ depending on the role you apply to and are outlined in the job descriptions attached to the vacancy.

Not all roles require specific subjects. Please refer to the job description for the role you are applying for under the entry requirements section for information. 

Absolutely! Our graduate scheme is open to all graduates, regardless of whether you have recently qualified or have gained work experience. Many of our actuaries joined XPS after spending time in the workplace or pursuing further education post-university. Depending on your circumstances and the role offered, we may be able to provide an earlier start date rather than waiting until the following autumn when graduate appointments start.  

In addition to your academic background, we consider your skills, experience, and motivation, in relation the role you are applying for. Our business thrives on diversity, and there’s no single type of person who succeeds within our company. However, it is important that you share our company values details of which can be found here.

When preparing for your application, you should carefully consider your responses in relation to the role you are applying for. Try to think about specific examples of things you’ve done in the last two to three years which relate to the role. Your responses can include academic work, hobbies, part-time jobs or extra-curricular activities

All applications are reviewed by the Recruitment team at the initial stage. Please see our application process for Apprenticeship and Graduate programmes above for further information.

Our salaries are competitive and vary based on the role you have applied for. You will receive confirmation of the starting salary if you proceed to Stage 2: the Initial Screening call.

In addition to 25 days holiday, XPS offers a set of core benefits and flexible benefits to suit you and your lifestyle across financial, health and wellbeing, including discounts at range of retailers.

If you are unsuccessful at any stage of the application process you will not be able to re-apply for the same intake year due to the start dates. We would welcome your application for the next intake year.

We operate a flexible working approach and the choice of working environment will depend on your role. You will be supported with the technology and equipment required to work effectively in an office or hybrid environment.

Wellbeing is at the heart of how we operate. Relationships with colleagues, enjoyable and fulfilling careers and work life balance are all important for success.

We provide dedicated wellbeing support for managing disabilities and long-term conditions, through to medical and wellbeing benefits for all employees. 

Our seven Employee Networks – XPS Women’s Network, XPS LGBTQ+ Network, XPS Menopause Network, XPS Disability Network, XPS Multicultural Network, XPS Mental Health Allies and XPS Planet Group  – play an important role in our culture.

We’re committed to creating a working environment that protects, supports and promotes the health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. We believe that all colleagues should thrive both in their work and personal lives.

As doing the right thing is a fundamental aspect of our culture, it is a key driver of our environmental approach. This is centred around all parts of the business taking responsibility for how our activities affect the environment and how we can reduce our impacts so that we all have a more stable environmental and financial future. You can find out further information here.

Our staff networks lead our inclusive programme of events, campaigns and workshops, such as celebrating International Women’s and Men’s Days, Pride Month and Black History Month, our Be Yourself at Work campaign and our workshops on LGBTQ+ Allyship, the importance of self-promotion for women’s careers, menopause awareness and confidence when speaking up. Our internal mentoring programme also has a role to play, for example in advancing gender equality.

XPS Pensions Group has an online induction programme for corporate information due to the nature of our business and the multiple sites we operate across. The purpose of the corporate induction programme is to ensure you feel welcomed into the business and are given an overview of the organisation, and how your role fits in. You will also have the opportunity to meet with other people on your programme, and you will have a local induction programme to get to know how things work and your immediate team.

We recognise that there may have been circumstances beyond your control that have impacted your academic performance. Examples of such circumstances are (but not limited to): serious illness/injury, death of a close family member, critical illness of a close family member. You will have the opportunity to inform us of any extenuating circumstances on the application form. A member of the team will get in touch if they require further information.

We support all applicants throughout the recruitment process. We want everyone to be able to perform at their best, therefore if there are any adjustments you feel would benefit you during the recruitment process, please let us know. We will also ask you to confirm if any adjustments are needed before each stage of the process.

Please email us [email protected] to speak to a member of the recruitment team.

Whilst we can guide you through the process of applying for a UK visa, please be aware that it is your responsibility to have the right to work in the UK at the time the programme starts and this is a requirement of you being able to work at XPS Pensions Group.

You can find out more about working visas from Work in the UK - GOV.UK.

Applicants for our Apprenticeship programmes should be aware that we are unable to provide sponsorship if you require a visa for our apprenticeship programmes.

Please be aware that it’s your responsibility to explore avenues of working in the UK, as we're not able to provide advice on this.

Those that have the right to work in the UK as a dependent need to ensure that they are eligible for funding if they have permission from the UK government to live in the UK (not for educational purposes) and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship. If you have any questions on this, please do contact us.

Whilst we can guide you through the process of applying for a UK visa, please be aware that it is your responsibility to have the right to work in the UK at the time the programme starts and this is a requirement of you being able to work at XPS Pensions Group.

You can find out more about working visas from Work in the UK - GOV.UK.

Applicants for our Graduate programmes should be aware that we are unable to provide sponsorship if you require a visa for our graduate programmes.

Please be aware that it’s your responsibility to explore avenues of working in the UK, as were not able to provide advice on this.

No. Age is not important to us, as all applicants are judged on their abilities. However, for work experience and insight programmes there is a requirement for certain year groups to be included.

Please email your question to us via [email protected] and we will respond as soon as possible.