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As one of my dispatchers told me, "Timing is everything".

You folks could be making a Life-change at just the right time, or you may have just missed out on the 4 hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004 followed by biggest national disasters the following year affecting several states.
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Another thing, consider going to see a Doctor who has never practiced medicine before. Has never done an internship at a hospital, let alone seen someone with your malady. You folks may have had a career in claims previously, but if you haven't, keep in mind that your willingness to help and maturity are wonderful things. Someone who started out with the "day to day" homeowner claims and then evolved to Catastrophe work is going to have a better foundation to stand upon.

The claims world is like a foreign language until you get used to it. And has it's own unique software, and will take some time to get familiar with it.

I remember a storm where one guy was doing so much better than the others - then I learned he had been on staff with State Farm 10 years and knew that system cold. In contrast, some of the people who had not done claims before inspected 50 houses, never could turn in a single report that was able to result in a check being issued to the Insured, kept looking at houses as the people kept nagging them to "see their house next" and these 2 guys ended up being sent home early.

That is the classic error of "over-scoping" without sending in payment request & reporting on the claims already-inspected. There are lots of such errors, and we all learn by making mistakes, or reading about it and learning first.

Thanks Bob...good comments.

If anyone out there would be able to recommend good schools, online or classroom, I'd really appreciate it. It doesn't appear as though MI has any close by.

Vale Tec in PA. or OH. is very good a 3 week course cost about 2500. 3,000 pluse expenses. You will learn a lot (so much to learn) but you can probably eak by on a major cane.

Thank you Ray. Curious...as a comparison, your thoughts on the one week classes (classrooms and online) out there for around 300.

I've been to both a $500 week long class and Vale Tech.  If you have no experience and are looking for a  complete prgroam, I recommend Vale.  The week long gives one an overview and at the end of the week I had an glimmer of what this industry is about.  Vale provides indepth policy, structure, product knowledge and estimate writing.  When attending the class it was a full day and then when you went home you had to study as there was a test everyday.  Well worth the $2500.  Please know that which ever you take, it's just the beginning there's so much to learn.

Just curious, do you use actual software to do estimates in the class at Vale?  

Or is it a generic scope, measure the floor x $3 per Sf carpet, etc.

If they have you work with software, is it Xm8, Integra, Simsol, Power Claim...

Yes, real estimating programs.  We had a choice of Xmate, Simsol or Integraclaim.  It was a very hard, exhausting three week period, but well worth.  It filled in so many blanks for me.

Vale has a house in side a warehouse.  It consists of bedroom, bath, kitchen, and living room and depending on the day, you end up scoping all rooms and figuring out the scope of damage to each.  The roof is conventional shingles and wood shingles, there are different types of damaged siding on the elevations.  There was aluminum, steel, vinyl and stucco.  It gave us a broad range of information to see, scope and know the difference.

Thanks linhoch...and to all who have been great in answering my questions. I'm sure my wife and I will have a ton more questions as we go along. As I've learned over and over in my well-seasoned years, the only way we can learn something is to get started, jump in both feet, make mistakes, learn from them and don't take anything personal! Thanks to this website, we're now armed and ready to start into this career. I will be signing up for classes tomorrow. Take care all...be blessed...

I attended Farm Bureau Tech and Vale Tech and will say that Vale Tech is much more intense with training. That ol house has been around a long time and will enable you to determine damage and then your taught proper technique of scoping, (which is half tof working the loss). You scope right and you will prepare the estimate right. You cannot lose money by attending Vale Tech. A year ago they asked me to come and teach the commercial class, but I could not do it at the time. I regretted not being able to teach, as I love teaching other adjusters. Good luck with your knowledge. Hunker down and learn.

I went thru a very similar training program as a newbie when I got hired as a staffer with Cincinnati Insurance Co.  They brought us in as barely weaned pups to the home office, had us sit thru grueling policy reading sessions for 9 weeks along with going to local burnouts & body shops or salvage yards with old-timer field adjusters.  Also had retired former State Patrol officers that were on staff as SIU that taught us the ins/outs of accident situations that they simulated in the company parking lot (skid mark evaluation, etc).  Back then, though, the estimating software was in it's infancy and we didn't use it.  It was all handwritten, even the auto.  Those that followed me, and others I've know, have had nothing but praise for Vale.  Hard to tell if that training I received from the HO exists much any more widescale amongst carriers.  Forgot to mention, they also taught us Work Comp basics because every state differs, but then we just got thrown to the wolves on the whole mix once we returned back to our home state to work from our residence office.  It was then up to our local mgr or co-workers to help us along the way, which they all did.  For young pups, that's the best way to go.  For old dogs, listen to the old dogs that posted before me.

Just a clarification on Ray's note about Vale's location.  There are actually three locations, two of them in locations that leave one wondering why anyone would locate anything there.

the locations are:

Camp Hill, PA (near Harrisburg)

Arlington, TX (between Dallas and Fort Worth)  Took a one day earthquake seminar there.

Fresno, CA  (near nothing interesting unless you want to drive to Yosemite).  I spent a year at Vale Tech there and it only took two weeks.

Maybe I was only wishing Fresno was in Texas so we wouldn't have to deal with it here in California.  Thanks for catching the error, JJG.

Steve,

You wouldn't happen to be from Dublin, Ohio...

Dan Rubadue

No, I would be from Erie, PA, originally and San Diego currently via lots of points along the journey -- but none of them in Ohio (except for catastrophe stints in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinatti, Dayton, and Toledo).  

Hello,

   I am considering a career as an adjuster. I have been reading some of the questions and answers about training facilities.  I have talked with two schools in Texas.  It seems like a Texas license is accepted in quite a few states.  Is it a plus to have your schooling in Texas or can it be done in your own state? I am from Ohio.  I will consider Texas training if it will benefit me.   I have no college education.  Will that make it harder for me to obtain a job as an adjuster? I am very intrigued by the job and the aspect of traveling.   Being self-employed is a concern.  The job I have now, helps provide my health insurance. I cannot leave this job unless I am secure with work in this new field and can afford to continue my health coverage.    Thanks, Alexis

Alexis, you just need to explore this site a little further including all the archived forums from 2005-06 and you will find your answers plus a whole lot more.  Right now, in short, keep the day job & your benefits if you can.  In 2004 thru early 2006, there might have been 1000 plus hitting this website daily because they were working cat losses or wanting to.  Times have changed, pending a monster cane.  Lots of info and experiences out here, check them out.