American students would be lucky to get a fraction of the opportunities offered to young Bermudian, according to two United States insurance students who have spent the past month on the Island.

Christopher Colwell and Nicolas Borus, both from suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, attend the Katie School of Insurance in Illinois and have been finding out about the Bermuda market as part of their studies.

And they have been blown away by the opportunities in the industry offered to young Bermudians.

"There is a lot of room for growth in Bermuda - and for insurance students here," said Christopher. "Ten years ago nobody said they wanted to do insurance - now it is the kids that are telling their parents this is what they want to do. And this adds to the competition globally."

And Nicholas said that there was more opportunity in a place like Bermuda for its young people, while in the US, they struggled to get their first jobs.

Their visit has been co-ordinated with the help of the Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies, and they have also been advising Bermudian students about life at the Katy School.

The two started their investigation at the law firms and then they moved to the Registrar of Companies and then on to most of the insurance companies.

"We had no idea about the scope for business here," said 20-year-old Christopher. "Everyone knows about the Bermuda market - but we didn't realise how extensive it was."

Nicholas, who is 21, said it was a great opportunity to meet the movers and shakers - all within a few miles of each other.

And both young men have said that they would like to return to Bermuda in the early parts of their careers if they are given the opportunity.

"The Bermuda market is very technically driven," said Nicholas. "There is a lot of networking that goes on here - and it is important not to burn your bridges here."

Christopher added: "The size of the industry might be large, but it is a small world out there. If you make a mistake early on (in one's career), it would be hard to recover. You will see the same people for the rest of your lives.

"We have been meeting with the future CEOs and top executives - and hopefully, when the time comes for us to be out there, we will already have met them."