Auto and Car Insurance

Anyone work or ever worked auto insurance claims?

I just graduated college and it looks like I'm gonna get a job offer to work auto insurance claims for Allstate Insurance. Does anyone know anything about this kind of work? Is it boring? Basically I just wanna know what its like cause it doesn't immediately seem like something I would like but I can't honestly say because I don't know anything about it. The biggest reason I'm thinking about it so hard is because the start off pay is really good (34,000) while most of the other types of jobs i'm looking at start at about 29,000-30,000. Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it! Looks like its at least worth a try for a couple years. I just hope I'm not too nice/wishy washy for it.

Public Comments

1. What type of auto insurance claims Liability non-injury, injury, or auto? I did not work for Allstate but have not heard anything bad about them. I worked liability non-injury. My job required me taking recorded statements from the parties involved and make an assessment on liability. It was hard because the workload was high; I was attached to phone and computer. People did not like the concept of comparative negligence. Next I started handling injury claims. I enjoyed that. I still would determine who was at fault but when a person is injured they seem to be a little less concerned about their car so are a little easier to deal with. I would go out in the field and meet with people, pick up police reports, do scene investigations, review medical records, and attend mediation and trials if the claim escalated to that. I also had a laptop, company car, and a cell phone. The freedom was nice. Doing just liability non-injury claims was a little boring, maybe even below my education level at my company (I have a B.S.). The injury claims were more complex and challenged me some. You need to know medical terminology. Both injury and non-injury claims are a lot of computer work as my company was paperless. I never worked more than 40 hours a week but I would say I was the exception to the rule. A lot of people at my office put in 45-55 hour weeks. Auto claims seems pretty neat though I never did it. There is a lot of training for that job, as it required knowledge of the vehicle. You would probably be out in the field taking photos of cars and writing estimates. You would also have to work with body shops. No matter what field of auto claims you are talking about you have to be able to negotiate and deal with upset people. You need to be a people person to work any line of claims. You also need to be able to handle a fast-paced high volume job. Nobody likes to be without a car. You will spend a lot of time on the phone. Insurance may not be a field that interests a lot of people but there is a ton of room for growth and promotions. I have found that all in all it pays fairly well.
2. It's not boring, but it's VERY VERY stressful. Claims adjusters tend to have a short life. Your caseload will probably take you 50 hours a week to work, and NO ONE is ever happy. About 30% of the claimants will be lying to you about something, you just don't know which 30%. On the other hand, if you want a career in insurance, it's a GREAT source of training and information. And if you can do claims, you can do ANYTHING. Personally, you couldn't pay me ENOUGH to do claims.
3. it won't be boring and it will allow you to get out of the office often (after you are trained and turned loose) you'll always be meeting new people i worked in insurance for 30 years
4. its not a very easy job and therefore employers offer higher pay. take the challenge and leave rest to god and u will be happy with ur new job
5. I have worked in the insurance industry for over 20 years. I've done everything from customer service to property claims. It is never boring and will teach you how to manage your time and make critical decisions. It is a great education in human nature as well. If you enjoy meeting new people and can clearly explain yourself to people, it is a great career. I have never regretted being in insurance and enjoy my work.
6. Ah the claims life you ask about, I am a Licensed Adjuster in Florida and have worked on the Agent side of the business, I can tell you the some of the things said before me are true but if you can come to work every day with a thick skin attitude you will be a winner in claims. Claims will teach more about the insurance business in general than any other area, in Auto Claims you will face many challenges, You can expect a highly demanding job but once you start moving up the claims ladder you will find it very rewarding.Although you will be working for a competitor I wish you the best. Good Luck !!!