Should I become an insurance agent?

[Boner_Jones]

They wanna interview me... its a sales position...

i dunno...I don't think i want a career in insurance... sounds so boring... dreary. Plus have to deal with bitches and back stabbers.. i don't relate to em.

But... I'm so broke ass and desperate,

I wanna work overseas but... don't wanna be an english teacher, maybe I can set up my own biz?

Would you take the job offer?

[Renata]

yes if you're broke take it & use the money to do something better; Stepping-stone.

I've pumped gas, ironed clothes & babysat kids to get to where I needed to go, especially during dry spells of no work.

A lot of insurance agents open the phone book & cold-call people's land lines to get clientele, it works but there's no guarantee that they're home or will answer, or u might get a kid or an elderly person on the line.

if u open the classified ads & write down all the mobile numbers you can find, that's even better. Those are direct hits.

Good Luck.

[zboy1]

Most of the sales job offered nowadays is a scam. They sucker people to be sales agents, insurance agents, etc., only for them to take your personal information and dump you when you can't make quota. Only a tiny few do really well in that industry. I would not take the job if I were you. I'd rather find something else to do. The problem is most jobs these days are sales jobs or low-wage service jobs like fast food workers, sigh...

[chanta76]

The thing you have to watch out for Insurance sales job is you have to be a license insurance agent in order to sell . This is the same for real estate agent in which case you need a broker to sponsor you or even a financial planner who also sells insurances but also sells mutual funds.

Most insurance jobs want you to pay for the class and fee to take the test. Most insurance sales jobs are commission base which means you have to make money only on a close deal. It's rare to find a insurance job where they pay for the class and test fee and give you salary. Usually if you have a proven track record as a sales person sometimes they give you a base salary.

The good news with Insurance sales jobs are residual income which you get from past clients who renew their insurance policy. In other words you close a deal and this same customer down the road decides to renew the insurance policy. Guess what even though you don't have to re-sell you still make commission. That's probably the best part about being an insurance agent BUT....in order to get residual income you have to invest 3-5 years minimum and typical 10 years to get some sort of full residual.

Insurance sales jobs are dime a dozen. If your working for a mom and pop insurance sales company and they want you to sign up for an insurance policy than that's wrong or some insurance companies have management position where you go out and recruit new insurance sales people to do the selling and you get a cut of their commission. It's like you build a pyramid as long as someone is selling you make some money but your job is to manage the agent and make sure they don't quit.

Insurance sales position just like any other sales job have a high attrition rate because selling is tough. Be prepare to cold call and prospect. The good news is if you get good at this..you learn a skill that will never leave you and you can relocate anywhere in USA to be a sales person.


So if ESL is not your path ...my advice is try it out for 3 months...but if they ask you to put up money...don't be surprise. The money might be for the class ..or you can opt to take a insurance class with another company. The test fee goes to the state that you have to pay to. If you fail the test you have to pay again.

[Jester]

I didn't realize what this was till I read Zboy's post.

This is multi-level bullshit. That's why they "want to interview" you.

Big waste of time. They will not only want you to pay for licensing course and license, but then pay rent for an office. And only THEN find out if you can sell.

And life insurance is REALLY REALLY hard to sell.

In fact, a REAL life insurance agency wouldn't waste time interviewing someone as unsure as you sound. No offense intended. Because you have to be almost psychotic to sell that stuff. Determined like a fanatic.

A MUCH better career for a non-sales type would be AUTO insurance. IF they are going to give you desk and floor-time in a busy office. Just help people in afast and business-like way, no pressure. They have to buy.

Otherwise go work as a barback or install sound systems until you move overseas. Or get a long-handled squeegee and a bucket, and wash retail store windows for cash.

Anything is better than multi-level.

[momopi]

They wanna interview me... its a sales position...
i dunno...I don't think i want a career in insurance... sounds so boring... dreary. Plus have to deal with bitches and back stabbers.. i don't relate to em.
But... I'm so broke ass and desperate,
I wanna work overseas but... don't wanna be an English teacher, maybe I can set up my own biz?
Would you take the job offer?

If you like to interact with people and make some extra money, one of the fastest and easiest way is to become a notary public. For California, you need to complete 6 hours of classes, take the certification exam ($20), and pass a background check. The 6 hour class requirement can be done online for less than $50. I cannot speak for your state, so you'll need to look it up yourself. You will most likely NOT be able to make a living as a notary signing agent (mobile notary public). However, it does open doors for you and you get to meet bankers, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, etc.

There are many areas related to real estate where you can become licensed and make money. i.e. Real Estate Appraisal License (150 class hours), Home Inspection License, Real Estate Broker's License, Real Estate Sales License (135 class hours), etc. You should be able to find online learning course from $200 to $1,000 with money back guarantee if you don't pass the exam. For example:

http://www.alliedschools.com/
http://www.alliedschools.com/re_salespe ... ense.shtml
http://www.alliedschools.com/re_salespe ... ices.shtml

[polya]

You should try and get this job and try to save some money. If you hate it, you can always quit.

[Jester]

... I'm so broke ass and desperate,
I wanna work overseas but... don't wanna be an English teacher, maybe I can set up my own biz?

If you like to interact with people and make some extra money, one of the fastest and easiest way is to become a notary public. For California, you need to complete 6 hours of classes, take the certification exam ($20), and pass a background check. The 6 hour class requirement can be done online for less than $50. I cannot speak for your state, so you'll need to look it up yourself. You will most likely NOT be able to make a living as a notary signing agent (mobile notary public). However, it does open doors for you and you get to meet bankers, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, etc.

Great suggestion!

Noone ever regretted becoming a notary. And you CAN make a living at it, at least with some hustle. True though, you won't get rich. But again - noone ever regretted becoming one. Some businesses even want to hire you to do something else, but let you do your notary practice at their office - because they benefit by having you available when they need you.

And if you're moving overseas, it gives you a credential which foreigners love.

In Latin America a "notario" is a b ig deal, so it sounds like a big deal to Latins if you are one up here.

If I were you I would become a notary, then start interviewing with immigration lawyers and immigration paralegals. Get an office job with them. Helping other people change countries may perk you up a bit, and prepare you for your own move.