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Last Post 03/23/2010 3:54 AM by  CatAdjusterX
Newbie here
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Conquest351
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Posts:3


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03/05/2010 3:23 PM

    Hey guys,

    I'm a newbie here.  I have a friend who's an adjuster with Worley and I worked with him on a storm up in MN a few years ago.  I got my Real Estate license shortly after, and well, the market is crap.  The wife and I talked it over between ourselves and my buddy and decided I should persue my P&C License here in TX.  Finished the classes online in about a week and finally got my license in January.  I've been applying to just about every online opening I can find, but with no experience I'm not getting hired.  My friend said he'd take me out on the next storm so I can get some real hands on experience and learn the tools of the trade such as Xactimate. 

    I have a very strong sales and customer service background, but it's mainly automotive and high performance stuff, and my real estate background gives me a little construction knowledge.  So, my question is, if my friend takes me out to work a storm or 2 with him, can I claim them as experience even though I'm not technically employeed by a company?  I have been asked by Insurance Recruting Services to come and take a proficiency test at their facility, I just need some real training.  I'd love to take their classes, but the $1800 they charge is a little hard to come by for us at the moment.

    Another question is, should I get a job to take up the down time?  It is EXTREMELY hard to find any sort of decent work where I live (middle of nowhere Texas) and the jobs I'd get would only be minimum wage.  There literally is nothing here!  Anyway, have any of you guys had any luck holding on to a second job that helps you through the down time?

    Thanks a lot for the information on this site!  I really have enjoyeed reading through it!


    Laters,


    Brian
     
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    earthwindnfire
    Guest
    Guest
    Posts:9


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    03/08/2010 1:16 PM
    It's always best to start out as a staff adjuster for a large carrier. Let them train you for free. In the event of a large storm event they will also end up asking the branch claims offices for volunteers to go and help with the storm. Then you have zero investment and all of the training. You will be a far better "risk" for these adjusting companies to look at. Remember that their reputation is riding on your performance. If you take a stack of 50 from the storm office and then get stuck on how to sketch a cut up roof, and what the heck SFF1+SFF4/100* 1.1 means, the other claims don't get inspected and/or settled and the ia firm has to take some back and get them re-assigned to a can-do guy. But by then the timelines are already late and it's a no win for all involved. Get all of the training and decision making done before you go. You may decide that you don't even like the storm trooper life, but it's far easier to go back home and still have a job with that carrier than to make all of the investment and then go back to nothing. The daily ia claims gig is fiercely competitive. It's not easy at all to come back from a storm event and get started making a living at day claims unless you have years of experience and contacts behind you.
    On the other hand-- I realize that jobs with carriers do not grow on trees either. In the event of a large storm there will be room for you somewhere. Maybe wait for that event to get here before getting too worried about it. Get your licensing in place and have some dough stashed to outlast the payday lag at the beginning of the deployment. There's alot of outlay before the income starts coming back.
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    ranger
    Member
    Member
    Posts:56


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    03/10/2010 2:27 PM
    You cannot get a staff adjuster position with a large carrier unless you have a four-year college degree. If you do it is a good place to start and stay. I was a staff adjuster with Crum & Forster and Farmers Insurance Group. I became an IA and worked Ivan, Katrina, Wilma and Ike. There were too many years beween Wilma and Ike and Ike was not as good financially as the other hurricanes. I should have stayed with Crum & Forster and had a company car, expense account, group medical and dental, a 401K, retirement and a salary between $60,000 and $80,000.

    If you still want to be a hurricane adjuster, you are going to have to pay for training with a reputable firm suach as VALE. Take all the Xactimate training available and ask your friend with Worley to recommend you. If we had a Katrina/Wilma every year the life of an IA would be great, however we do not.
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    Conquest351
    Guest
    Guest
    Posts:3


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    03/10/2010 4:08 PM
    Hey,
    Thanks for the advice! I have applied to probably 30+ insurance adjusting jobs here in Texas over the past month or so. I feel like I send 3-5 applications/resumes in per day and I haven't gotten anywhere. I already have my license and everything, it just seems that everyone is looking for people with experience and I have none. Kind of hard to get experience when you can't get hired. LOL Any advice to get hired on as an inside adjuster?

    Thanks again,

    Brian
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    Ray Hall
    Senior Member
    Senior Member
    Posts:2443


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    03/11/2010 3:22 PM

    Brian you will probably not get a chance to work until another Katrina or Andrew type hurricane hits, really no shortage of experienced catastrophe adjusters, thousands waiting on storms.
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    Conquest351
    Guest
    Guest
    Posts:3


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    03/11/2010 6:32 PM
    Wonderful. Another wise career choice for me. LOL
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    Tim_Johnson
    Member
    Member
    Posts:243


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    03/13/2010 8:35 AM
    Stay out of the claims biz. Go to RN school, 2 years basic degree, 4 years BSRN. You can go to work in a hospital, work three 12's a be considered a full time employee with benefits, the other 4 days a week you can work another nursing job or go fishing.
    Tim Johnson
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    CatAdjusterX
    Veteran Member
    Veteran Member
    Posts:964


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    03/23/2010 3:54 AM

    Hey Buddy
    It's tough out there , but you wouldn't be the first adjuster with 0 experience to find an IA firm willing to give you a shot and you won't be the last.
    Just this year , my buddy had his Texas license less than 3 weeks and he was offered a job with an IA firm and a position as a Staff adjuster, he had to choose and he smartly chose the Staff adjuster route as it is paid on the job training unlike an IA firm's sink or swim mantra.
    He devoted 4 hrs a day sending resumes and emails and ended up sending over 400 resumes , but it worked !!
    You say you sent 3 to 5 per day with no results, so send 20 a day !
    It's all about mindset brother go to a place where you are around lots of new adjusters in the same boat, stay positive and look for anything you can get field experience in, we have 6 different companies hiring new adjusters trying to get their feet wet in the industry from roof measuring services roof sales just don't go near Public Adjusting if you want to ever find work on the IA side, I will find you work if you put in the effort.

    Robby
    www.fromoneadjustertoanother.com

    "A good leader leads..... ..... but a great leader is followed !!" CatAdjusterX@gmail.com
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