How to Become an Automobile Insurance Adjuster
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, claims adjusters, including for automobile insurance, have no formal training requirements. Knowledge and experience in the field get an insurance industry applicant preferential treatment. Auto shop school, or time in an actual car shop, will prepare an aspiring adjuster for that first claims adjuster job. Novice adjusters tend to learn with a supervisor or mentor. With time, administrative positions can be had, along with their pay increases.
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Instructions
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Graduate from high school and turn 18 years of age. Obtain a driver's license in the state in which you want to work, if you have not done so already. Keep forms of proof of U.S. citizenship with you during the paperwork phase of becoming an adjuster. (No state residency is needed to get a license in your state of business.) Keep your green card and other identification forms at all times, if you are not a citizen but are authorized to permanently reside in the United States.
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Learn the career. Ask auto claims adjusters in the area which auto trade schools they attended, or how they learned with hands-on experience. Talk to enough adjusters to get a feel for which backgrounds the local auto insurance companies prefer when looking to hire. Choose an auto repair trade school whose name you keep hearing, or look for one with teachers from insurance claims backgrounds. Work at a car mechanic shop instead (or at the same time) if you want some hands-on experience with the damage for which insurance claims are made. Pay special attention to which customers get insurance payments and which do not, in light of the damage done to the vehicle and the situation that caused it. Attend a college or university if local companies require it--for example, if a few companies that caught your eye want their adjusters to know finance as well as vehicles. Try even applying to companies that are willing to train their adjusters from scratch.
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Follow the licensing procedure for your intended state of business. Usually this process will involve a certification exam; sometimes the state requires that a pre-exam course be taken, with the exam at the end of the course. Buy test preparation literature if you want to get a leg up on the exam before finishing the course. Pass the exam or exams, or try again when possible. Fill out the proper forms to apply for a license to practice claims investigation or adjustment.
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Apply with local insurance providers. Talk to the adjusters with whom you connected during your learning years, especially your teachers at the auto trade school or friends of the car shop owner. Nudge them to give a good word for you to the heads of their adjustment departments (unless they are themselves running the departments). Ask them what to expect on the company employment exam; some auto insurance companies require that you pass an exam before they hire you. If the company has one, ask whether they print out preparatory literature for the exam. Register with your state's labor commission for updates on open positions in the area, plus appointments for in-person job placement assistance.
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References
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