How Do I Get Insurance Work Experience?

There are many ways in which you can gain insurance work experience. You may, for example, seek an internship with an insurance company to learn the ins and outs of the industry. You could also take on an assistant position to an insurance agent or group of agents. For example, you can gain some experience in a customer-service or sales-oriented position. Additionally, you might consider working in other industries that offer experience with insurance, such as legal firms that focus on insurance cases or medical billing and claims companies.

One way to get insurance work experience is through an internship. You can find an insurance company in need of an intern and spend time working under the supervision of insurance professionals to gain the experience you need. Often, large insurance corporations offer internship programs that help individuals learn more about the business, but you aren't necessarily limited to them when you want to find an internship. You can also approach small one- or two-person insurance businesses and let them know you are interested in interning in an effort to learn through hands-on work. Some smaller businesses may need extra help and decide to create an internship for you.

You can also gain insurance work experience by seeking an assistant position with an insurance company. For example, you may find an independent insurance agent who needs someone to help him with administrative work, making phone calls, and setting appointments. Though this type of assistant position might involve a good deal of clerical work, it may provide regular opportunities to learn about the insurance industry as well. In fact, the agent or group of insurance professionals for whom you work may put effort into helping you learn if you let them know gaining experience is your goal.

In an effort to gain insurance work experience, you could also take on another type of entry-level insurance job; many insurance industry jobs do not require a person to have previous experience, and you can land some without an insurance license. Sometimes these jobs are referred to as entry-level staff positions and can involve customer service, scheduling, and sales help. For example, you could get a job with an insurance company that involves generating sales leads, cold calling potential clients, and setting appointments.

Not all insurance work experience has to come from working for an insurance company. You can also get the experience you need from other types of companies. For example, if you worked as an assistant or paralegal for a law firm that handles insurance cases, you could gain experience that way. Likewise, you could gain experience working for a company that handles medical insurance claims and billing.