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jency
2 Posts |
 Posted - 02/13/2003 : 18:09:38
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| I have been offered a position as a CAT trainee with a large insurance company. The training is 4-6 months long and then I will be hired on as a permanent full time CAT once training has been completed. I have several years of general liability and auto insurance claims experience. I am well aware of the extensive traveling and the long hours of the job. I am married and I worry about never seeing my husband and working non-stop with no free time. Can someone fill me in on what to expect so I REALLY know what I am getting myself into so I can figure out if this is really the right path for me. Thanks in advance! Jency |
Edited by - jency on 02/13/2003 23:19:19 |
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Cheryl Joyce
USA
45 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 00:15:18
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Sounds like you already have a good concept of the schedule and activities. If you have done any of your previous work in the field, at all, you just have to factor that you have to be further away and learn a new city - almost like a stranger in a new city everytime you pull up roots to go to the next one. But if there is nothing else out there for you right now then this is what you need to do.
Good luck, it's rare to find a Major company take on a new trainee. But I'm sure they are looking at you having some experience already from what you wrote.
Good luck. |
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Dadx9
USA
143 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 00:39:52
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Maybe some more info. What is your husband's opinion? Any kids?
Do you have 6 weeks worth of expense money put away? Are you being offered salary? Benefits, etc...
I'll check back in the morning. |
Don
"To be held in the heart of a friend is to be a king."
Bruce Cockburn |
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mshort68
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 07:58:16
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| Take advantage of all the training and learn as much as you can. Then if you play your cards right, you'll be able to move on and make more money if that is your plan. PS I just quit a major vendor after 5 years of storm duty. Good luck. Remember, it is not easy on the family, speaking from experience: two young kids and a wife. |
The grass is always greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed! |
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mshort68
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 08:02:09
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| PS I averaged 230 days a year away from home the last 5 years. Just to let you know. |
The grass is always greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed! |
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jency
2 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 09:15:34
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Thanks for the responses. Basically my husband left the decision up to me but he is worried that he will only see me a couple times per month, which could strain our marriage. Luckily we have no kids!
Basically after the training program is over I will be perm. full time employee with a base salary. They will offer me benifits and profit sharing at that time. It is a great opportunity but what I really need to know is the approx. amount of time I will be away from home.
Please keep the responses coming as I am sharing this information with my hubby. Thanks! Jency |
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JimF
USA
1014 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 09:53:43
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Jency, I have spent years in the past where I was away from home all year save and except a two week break.
Disasters unfortunately don't cooperate with 'our' schedules, and as such we go when the call comes (If a major EQ hits L.A. on Christmas Eve, guess where you are going to be on Christmas Day?). Over a matter of time, that may well mean and likely will mean being away from home, family and loved ones on birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is a reality of catastrophe adjusting.
We may also lay out our plans to do this or attend that or vacation somewhere, but the imminent needs for catastrophe adjusters for a Northridge EQ or Hurricane Andrew can and do often do cause those plans to fall by the wayside when those larger events happen.
Depending on the carrier you will be working with, some are generous in allowing a weekend off or allowing you to go back home for small breaks in time, but others aren't as understanding and generous. That is a question worth asking up front.
From talking to other catastrophe adjusters or reviewing some of the posts here on CADO, you may well hear the stories, some somewhat true and others fabrications of wishful and infant minds, the stories of great wealth to be made through catastrophe adjusting. For those who come seeking only the money, the journey generally doesn't last very long. On the other hand, if you enjoy travel and serving others in times of great trauma and need, then there is much to be offered to meet those needs.
Over the years, I have witnessed many relationships of catastrophe adjusters stretched, tested, and yes, way too many torn apart. The distances involved at times make meeting a significant other on a regular basis a tremendous task at times, and at others, an all but impossible task. If your homebase is somewhere in the middle of the country, it is easier when you are sent to one of our national coasts, than when you leave a spouse or significant other on one and are sent to another.
I would be remiss as well, to not mention that if you are sent out on a storm, and are away from a loved one for long time periods, it may be a challenge to resist the temptations which surely come from time apart, and it is only fair to say, that other adjusters away from their significant others, may well feel it necessary to test your honor (and hence, marriage) as that sort of thing does happen; especially in a field reknown for sometime macho attitudes. Stay true to your goals, your values and your marriage, and the road is smoother, and you'll be accepted and appreciated for your character.
To go back to the incomes from catastrophe adjusting, just remember you will be working 12 to 18 hour days and in larger storms, may well be working 7 days per week and for several weeks without a break. It can and does require a lot of physical stamina, but also a strong emotional constitution as well. And if you look at it realistically (which many don't) in actuality, you are being paid as if you were back at home working two 8 hour jobs. We as catastrophe adjusters tend to forget that, so we conclude the pay is pretty darn good for one job, but a damn good cab driver or cocktail waitress working two jobs in NYC for 18 hours a day, is likely making as much or more than many here.
I don't mean to paint a negative picture, but rather a realistic one. One which, under your circumstances as described, certainly one hopes will take everything into consideration before making such a life changing career transition. It can be a wonderful profession if you go in with your eyes open, and you aren't in it only for the money.
I do think that a spouse or significant other should be involved in what is likely to be a decision which as I mentioned, will at times, stress you, challenge you, test you, and provide both great satisfaction in helping others and loneliness and sadness at times when you can't be with your family and loved ones, especially on those important days and for those important events in our 'other life' which 'the road' often causes us to miss.
Good Luck and let us know your ultimate decision. |
Edited by - JimF on 02/14/2003 10:01:56 |
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Dadx9
USA
143 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 11:26:45
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Without prying into your financial package, I would try and find out how many claims you will likely do on an annual basis. I know my standard for a good year is based upon averaging $200 per file. If you're going to be away you should get the pay. If your package comes in around $50 - $100 a claim, may not be worth it.
Just food for thought. Security is something, though. |
Don
"To be held in the heart of a friend is to be a king."
Bruce Cockburn |
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mshort68
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 13:16:43
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| Don is that $200 you cut or total billing. I think a realistic # of claims per year is 1000. At average of $225 per file billed. |
The grass is always greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed! |
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Dadx9
USA
143 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2003 : 13:59:32
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| The $200 is my share. I also use the 500 amount as the baseline of an average (good) year. Hopefully the sky's the limit. At 5 completed claims a day multiplied by 5 work days (see previous comments under daily scheduling) I am only accounting for 20 weeks a year. All realsitic numbers. Certainly not what is possible, only trying to set the expectation level for new adjusters. |
Don
"To be held in the heart of a friend is to be a king."
Bruce Cockburn |
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Help! Is this career for me?
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