The Four Claims Jobs

When looking for a job in claims there are for areas in which you could land; which are:

1. Private practice
2. At an insurance company
3. Teaching
4. Research

The most common of these is a claims adjuster working at an insurance agency. The insurance claims adjuster will directly communicate with both the claimant (other party) and the insured that holds the policy the claim is being filed against. The role of the claims adjuster is one of interaction, paperwork completion, investigation and determination of liability.

Educational Requirements

To qualify to get a job in insurance claims you’ll need to have at least a high school diploma and some specific training within the insurance industry. If you go to work at an insurance company they well almost always provide you the training after hire.

Having knowledge of word processing software, general computer knowledge is very helpful as you’ll be on the computer or the phone most of the day. Having very clear communication skills both oral and written are essential in the insurance industry as you’ll have to notate claims so anyone can understand and you’ll be dealing with people on the phone. Having these set of skills is a necessity when applying for a job in claims.

Industry Growth Trends

There is a growing trend in the field that is going away from the direct employment to those of independent contractor agreements with insurance companies. This has resulted in the growth of the private insurance claims practice.

People can secure contracts to process the claims from their home office and use the insurance companies’ software. The person that does this is paid as an independent contractor and is able to deduct business expenses from their tax filings.

Despite the trend change the most common type of an insurance claims job is still found by a person working directly for and at an insurance claims company. The company is going to provide all the tools and the resources that you’ll need in order to do your job. The job range goes from process, to investigation to a random auditing of claims submitted.

Other Opportunities after Claims Jobs

Insurance claims adjusters can become community or career college instructors and teach those that want to become claims adjusters. An additional teaching opportunity is that of being able to instruct in loss prevention courses for insurance companies and other groups.

In order to become an instructor you don’t have to have a college degree; however, you do need to complete a certificate program in adult education. Learning is a transition to teaching and is an excellent help with making the career transition as well.

Also that of research in terms of claims patterns and the related issues is a large and growing area of exploration. A position of this type will almost always require a university degree in statistics, data management, or another field that is relatable. Having experience in the industry would be a big help as it would provide a lot of valuable context to the subject area and the data you’d be working with.

Achieving Satisfaction

Those that report the greatest satisfaction in having an insurance claims job are those that love things like the following:

• Helping people
• Problem solving
• Working independently

Insurance is purchased in order to both manage and reduce future risk. When a claim does happen the way that the claim is managed has probably the biggest impact on overall customer satisfaction and the business success. More than anything else, when something happens people need to know their insurance company is there for them.

Career Advancement

The ability to advance in the insurance industry is not going to lack in opportunity. There are so many lateral moves, transitions, supervisory and management positions. The field of insurance is vast in those areas and the general areas that have grade level positions that are a higher degree of specialization.

To be considered for these roles there is most generally additional courses and training required.