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Job description: General Insurance Technician
As a general insurance technician, you will provide administrative support for all types of insurance work. Your role will include underwriting or processing, claims and working for a broker.
Your main duties will include:
- Dealing with applications for insurance quotes, and checking proposal forms from customers or brokers.
- Getting more information from customers if necessary
- Using standard rates to quote premiums.
- Paying out claims to policy holders, taking claim details or issue forms
- Checking that the policy covers the claim and that premiums have been paid
- Gathering information such as receipts, photographs or accident reports
- Arranging for payment to be made on straightforward claims.
- Advising customers about insurance cover and keeping them informed about claims
- Dealing with straightforward policy renewals.
In any type of insurance technician role, you will also do clerical tasks like sending letters, updating records and dealing with customer enquiries.
Hours and Environment
You'll work 35 to 40 hours a week, in an insurance office or contact centre. The normal hours in insurance offices are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, in contact centres, shift work is common and may include evenings and weekends.
You'll be office-based, and spend most of your time on the phone and using a computer. You may also visit clients or underwriters.
Skills and Interests
You will need:
- Good spoken and written communication skills
- Excellent customer service skills
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Confidence in dealing with numbers
- Tact and assertiveness when dealing with customers who may be distressed or angry
- Team working ability
- The ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines.
Entry
Entry requirements will vary between insurance companies. Some employers may prefer you to have some GCSEs (A-C) including English and maths, others may value your customer service and administrative skills more than qualifications. You may need A levels or similar qualifications to get onto management training schemes.
You will find it useful to have experience in office work or customer service, whatever your qualifications.
If you have a degree, you may be able to join a large insurance firm's graduate training scheme. Most degree subjects are accepted, but you may have an advantage with a good degree (class 2:2 or above) in a business or maths-related subject.
You may be able to get into the insurance industry through an Apprenticeship scheme. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. To find out more about Apprenticeships, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
Training
Your training will usually be a mixture of on-the-job learning and study for insurance industry qualifications, possibly through a company's structured training scheme.
The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) provides a clear career structure from trainee to professional level, with qualifications as follows:
- CII Certificate in Insurance
- CII Diploma in Insurance
- CII Advanced Diploma in Insurance, leading to Associate membership of the CII (ACII status).
If you are working for an insurance company that deals with the London Market, you can also take the CII's Lloyd's and London Market Introductory Test.
Many employers expect you to have or be working towards full ACII status as your career progresses.
Some employers offer other entry-level insurance qualifications, such as the ifs School of Finance Certificate of Regulated General Insurance (CeRGI).
You should continue to develop your insurance knowledge and skills throughout your career. The CII and ifs School of Finance both run a range of short courses at training centres throughout the UK - see websites for more information.
Opportunities
You could work for insurance companies or brokers of all sizes all over the UK. Jobs may be advertised in the local press, Jobcentre Plus, in industry magazines, and by financial services recruitment agencies.
With experience, you could be promoted to department manager. You could specialise in an area such as underwriting, claims or supporting brokers.
You could also move into other areas of insurance like loss adjusting, broking, account management or compliance.
Annual Income
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
- Starting salaries can be between £11,000 and £15,000 a year.
- With experience, this can rise to £16,000 to £20,000.
- Senior technicians with advanced qualifications or specialists may earn up to £40,000.
Salary packages may also include insurance, pension benefits and bonuses based on personal or company performance.
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