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Job description: Claims Investigator
As a claims investigator, you'll be investigating insurance claims made by policyholders on behalf of insurance companies.
Your role involves determining their extent and validity, assessing the liability and negotiating payments.
You'll carry out detailed assessments in order to reduce the chance of fraud. You'll also co-ordinate the services required by policy holders following an accident or incident, for example arranging for tradesmen to repair their home.
Your typical tasks are likely to include:
- Visiting scenes of accidents or loss and investigating the circumstances
- Checking details with policy holders and witnesses
- Providing advice on making a claim and the processes involved
- Contacting tradespeople from a network of approved professionals and arranging for them to make repairs on the policy holder's property
- Gaining information from other professionals, such as the police and medical and technical staff
- Liaising with loss adjusters, solicitors and other legal/claims professionals
- Deciding on liability
- Negotiating a settlement with claimants or legal representatives
- Arranging payments
- Completing relevant paperwork
- Working with and assessing a range of factual information
- Collating information
- Writing reports.
Hours and Environment
Working hours are usually from nine to five, with the possibility of some extra hours. There may be times when you would have to work additional/unsocial hours, for example when interviewing police for information during their nightshift rota.
Most of the work involves visiting claimants in their homes or place of work with occasional office visits or meetings with solicitors and other professionals.
The job involves working to short deadlines and under pressure.
Travel within a working day (to meet clients) is frequent, but absence from home at night and overseas travel are both uncommon.
Due to the nature of the work, approaching strangers or visiting them in their homes, there is an element of potential risk to personal safety.
Whilst some of the larger insurance companies may provide and support career breaks, the opportunity to work part time is rare.
Skills and Interests
To be a good claims investigator you'll need:
- An enquiring mind and common sense
- Good numeracy and literacy skills
- Initiative and the ability to adapt quickly to different situations
- Organisational and time management skills
- Good communication skills
- An outgoing and confident disposition when dealing with people, often in difficult circumstances
- Negotiation and decision-making skills.
Entry
Although this area of work is open to all graduates, the following degree subjects may increase your chances:
- Business/management;
- Economics;
- Law;
- Mathematics.
There are two entry routes: via a general graduate management training scheme with the larger insurance companies; or directly into claims work after initial training. It is possible to follow the second route without a degree. An alternative route into the job is through more junior/clerical positions, moving up through the company by training and promotion.
A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not required.
There is a high level of competition for positions both from graduates and non graduates with general insurance claims experience. Apply early in your final year. For direct entry to junior posts, speculative applications are recommended.
Entry as a career change may be possible with relevant background experience, such as work in a safety or legal capacity.
Training
Training is usually undertaken on the job, supported by formal training courses.
Once appointed, you will generally have two years' intense on-the-job training followed by a further two to three years experience in underwriting risk and negotiating claims.
Studying to become an associate member of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) is generally preferred rather than required. Associateship usually takes between two and three years and enhances opportunities for career development.
Individual insurance companies may provide their own ongoing training courses in areas such as personal safety and communication skills.
It is important to keep up to date with legislation and developments in the field. Training and professional development in specific areas, such as safety, may also allow you to specialise later on in your career.
Opportunities
Jobs are available in most areas of the country. Offices are usually based around towns and cities, but you can cover rural areas.
You could move into management, either in claims or other departments of insurance companies. It may also be possible to get involved in project work, such as quality control or training, depending on the nature of the company.
However, the technical nature of the work and the fact that much of it is based outside the office means that there are few opportunities to gain experience in management and other key areas.
In order to progress, therefore, it's important to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) through training courses provided by employers and relevant professional bodies, such as the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA). Both organisations provide a range of insurance law exams and qualifications. Qualification requirements will vary depending on the employer.
Gaining more specialised qualifications could enable you to move into a different insurance area, such as employer or public liability. It may also be necessary to move to a larger company or an organisation with a focus on a specific area of insurance.
Annual Income
Figures are a guide only.
- Typical starting salaries are from £11,000 - £26,000
- With experience, salaries can rise to between £40,00 and £60,000
- Additional benefits can include a company car, low interest on mortgages and other loans, profit share, non-contributory pension and cheap insurance.
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