Insurance Agent Jobs
Insurance Jobs: Corporate and Independent Insurance Agency Careers
Feb 21, 2007
An insurance agent career can be fulfilling and lucrative. Agents help people protect their homes, businesses and personal belongings. Depending upon what insurance agent career path is taken, agents may also be helping others to protect their families. Insurance agents have unlimited earning potential. But is an insurance agent career the right choice?
Insurance Agent Job Description
The insurance agent career has changed over the years, but the essential job description remains the same. Agents have to enjoy working with people in order to have a successful insurance agent career. Insurance agents have to face some very stressed out and unhappy customers in the event that they experience a loss, and it’s up to the agent to run interference with a cheerful and positive attitude. Negotiating skills, motivation, a comfort level with insurance advice and some computer and internet skills are also a necessary part of the insurance agent job description.
Insurance Agent Job Openings
- Obtaining an insurance agent job with an insurance carrier may result in working directly for corporate, either in the office or in a branch of the insurance company. Many people take corporate insurance agent jobs working for insurance companies to get the free training and benefits. In other words, the corporate insurance agent job provides a lot of security and few (if any) out of pocket expenses, making it an attractive career prospect.
- Independent insurance agency jobs work for multiple insurance carriers, but aren’t officially employed by any of them. The benefits of an independent insurance agent career include a higher earning potential than working for an insurance company. In addition, the freedom of self-employment allows people to decide who they want to work with and where to place insurance. The downside is that a lot of new independent insurance agent careers fizzle out quickly without the marketing and training provided by an agency or insurance carrier.
- Taking an insurance agent job with an agency has a hybrid of benefits shared by independent insurance agent and corporate insurance agent jobs. These agents will most likely receive some benefits and a regular paycheck, but may not get the higher commissions afforded by being an independent insurance agent.
Insurance Sales Education and Training
A college degree is not required to sell annuities or other types of insurance. But it certainly can’t hurt anyone to increase their educational base to enhance their insurance agent career. Agents will need to learn about insurance, get licensed for any state where they plan to sell annuities or other types of insurance, and keep up their continuing education requirements.
Insurance Agent Earning Potential
Expect to start out in the $25,000 to $40,000 range, and to move to $40,000 to $60,000 mid-career, with some insurance agents earning income as high as $100,000- or more- for an agent with many years' experience and a loyal client base. Salaries will vary depending upon whether the sells annuities or other types of insurance, where they are located and how strongly they market their business.
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