Posted By judojohn1 on 03 Jul 2011 05:25 PM
The summary pretty much is the question. Farm Bureau Tech is $2200 v. Vale $2995.
Farm Bureau is an insurance carrier that trains its own adjusters at their own school as well as other carrier adjusters that do not have an adjuster training school.
Vale is known to train a lot of adjusters and I have heard it has a good reputation,
Big issues for me:
Farm Bureau Tech has only 4-6 students that will likely be attending this school and is an actual carrier training facility. Uses Simsol to adjust claims.
Vale has been around since 1949. May have 12 to 18 people in the class. Told a minimum of 15 scopes will be done at Vale. Uses Xactimate.
I would appreciate some feedback as I need to make a choice by July 12. Thanks everyone!!!!
Of course Judo John1, kind of "Inspiring" to see you back after a brief sabbatical.
Vale and Farm Bureau are hands down light years ahead of the 3 day guarantee you pass licensing schools.
I consider Vale and Farm Bureau to be the "Cliff notes" versions of the Katie School of Insurance.
Now with that being said, it is my opinion and probably mine alone (that's ok, I can accept that) that Vale and Farm Bureau curriculum's are hugely beneficial to the adjuster trainee"that has been sent by a carrier and is already employed by said carrier". The benefits of Vale or FB to the average joe who is footing the bill themselves and wants to become a CAT adjuster, in my opinion AGAIN is limited at best !!
I say this because where a prospective adjuster gets the advantage over other "prospective adjusters" is NOT where they went to school or where they got licensed. What gives the edge is actual field experience. An adjuster who got licensed from an online course as opposed to getting schooled at Vale or FB makes absolutely NO difference if said adjuster cannot crank out 3 to 5 estimates a night (XM8/SIMSOL/Integra-Claim/Powerclaim/DDS) when deployed.
Standing in front of me are two rookie adjusters with no field experience,looking for a job. One is a graduate from VALE, one is a graduate of an ACME 5 day combo class. Who has the edge?
Neither really !! Why?? Because they are the same (rookie adjusters with NO experience) I would say that an individual who puts himself through Vale on his own dime(and not paid for by a carrier) and wants to become a CAT adjuster has more money than brains, period!!
I don't need an adjuster to be able to recite policy verbatim and I definitely don't need a rookie adjuster telling me "Well the BOOK says to do it this way!!" I need an adjuster who knows where to look for the answer should a policy question come up,I need an adjuster who can adapt and overcome obstacles as they come I need an adjuster who knows how I do something, how Joe does something, how Mark does something and from that knowledge he comes up with HIS/HER way of doing something.
If you want to work directly for a carrier, they will hire you w/o being Vale or FB trained provided you have a 4 year degree(in most cases) and otherwise have the necessary qualifications sought by the carrier. Let them pay the tuition!
Going to Vale or FB with a goal of becoming a CAT adjuster is well, simply save your money friend.
Robby Robinson
"A good leader leads.....
..... but a great leader is followed !!"
CatAdjusterX@gmail.com