The first thing you must define is if you have the βBurning Desireβ to do this work. If it is not the case, we recommend you dismiss the idea. Becoming a Life and Medical Insurance Agent is a sales activity like any other. But it has its specific characteristics, which you should not ignore. If you are one of those who prefers to develop an 8-hour job and guarantee a salary, this work is not for you. If you do not trust your ability and prefer to receive a fixed check every 1st of the month, you are not in the right place.
Requirements for working as an independent insurance agent
Being an Insurance Agent is a job that requires dedication, effort, and perseverance. To quote some qualities. Being your own boss, you will manage to get up at the time you decide, work the days that you prefer, earn what you propose, take vacations whenever you want; BUT it can become dangerous if you do not have a strict discipline and certain organizational skills.
The essential qualities to learn how to become an Insurance Agent are discipline, organization, perseverance, strong determination of work, ethics, professionalism, respect and sincerity with the client.
If you have all the above qualities, it will not be difficult for you to be successful in your job as a Medical Insurance Agent and Life Insurance Agent, all of which applies, of course, to all branches of sales.
The functions of an insurance agent
Although an insurance agent specializes in a specific field (cars, houses, life insurance, etc.), the typical tasks of these professionals are: Collect information from clients to assess their needs and financial possibilities, explain the characteristics of the different insurance contracts to their clients, manage policy renewal and maintain client records, give assistance to clients when they need to use their insurance, send the details of the clients to the providers of the insurance services and attract new customers.
The average salary for an insurance agent
Although the salary of each insurance agent depends on the company he is in, and the commissions he gets for each new insurance, the salary is usually: $ 21,000 per year if you are a beginner insurance agent, $ 62,970 per year if you are an experienced insurance agent and $ 72,490 per year if you are a senior insurance agent.
As you can see, the salary is usually quite good and that is why this profession is one of the best job opportunities that exist since it allows you to earn good money and you do not need previous experience or many studies.
How to become an insurance agent
These are the steps you need to follow to be an insurance agent:
- Visit an insurance office: The first step is to visit an insurance office or send an email to any insurance agency you know. Insurance companies offer jobs constantly because this is one of the labor sectors that (almost) never has losses and in which there is always demand by users.
So go to an insurance office (can be online insurance, auto insurance, life insurance β¦) or send an email to go to work at that company.
- The training process begins: Once you have accepted your CV, you must pass a training course to become an insurance agent. These courses are provided by the companies themselves, they are not remunerated in general, and their duration is usually between 1 to 2 months.
- Take the exam to get your insurance agent license: Finished the course, the company for which you are going to work will put you to the test with an exam to obtain your license. These exams contain multiple choice questions (choose one of the options) and they are not too complicated to pass.
- You already have worked!: If you have finished the course and have passed the necessary exam, congratulations! You are already an insurance agent and have before you one of the best job opportunities that exist today.
How to become an independent insurance agent in Texas
Things you will need: Identification with photo proof that you are a Texas resident license application expenses of examsFast Pass (optional)
Instructions
- Download and print the license information. The newsletter can be found on the TDI website (http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/licensing/agent/agfaq.html). Go to a path down the page to a title that says: How do I apply for a license from an agent? Under the title, if a state exam has an obligation, until the next line, you will find a link to open the Licensing Information Bulletin.
- Decide what type of insurance you want to sell and check the license information bulletin to verify which exams to take and if there are other licensing requirements.
- Contact Prometric, Inc., the company contracted with the TDI to administer all insurance exams, to schedule an appointment to take the insurance exams. You can register online at www.prometric.com / Texas, or call 866-267-0455.
- Studying for the exam. The Licensing Information Bulletin contains a summary of the topics you need to know for each insurance exam, however, it does not contain study materials β only sample question formats. You can sign up for an insurance preparation or study course for the exam on your own. TDI does not require you to take any specific training course before taking the test, nor attest to any specific training material or program. They do, however, offer a list of providers that can be contacted on their website.
- Show on the day of your scheduled exam appointment. You will have to bring a form of identification with your photo, signature, and address that matches the address that appears on your application form and pays the fee required for the specific exam you are using.
- When you pass the exam, complete a license application form for each type of insurance license you wish to obtain. Send your license application form (s) and the exact rates found in the Prometric Licensing Newsletter.
Once you complete all the steps correctly, you are a licensed agent in the state of Texas.
