Insurance account manager apprenticeships - where to start
You can get into this job through
a university course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
training with a professional body
University
You could take a degree before applying to join a company's management training scheme. Most subjects are accepted but you may have an advantage if you study:
business management, financial services, marketing or maths.
You'll usually need 2 to 3 A-Levels, or the equivalent, for a degree.
Apprenticeship
You may be able to get into this job by doing an insurance professional higher apprenticeship, or Level 6 (degree) apprenticeship for senior insurance professionals.
These take between 24 to 36 months to complete with a mix of workplace learning and study.
You'll usually need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A-Levels, or equivalent, for a higher or Level 6 (degree) apprenticeship.
Work
You could start as an insurance technician, underwriter or junior account handler and work your way up through training and promotion.
Other Routes
You could study for qualifications from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).
The CII qualifications offer study units relevant to the insurance areas you specialise in, for example marine, commercial or general insurance. Examples of qualifications include:
CII Level 3 Certificate in Insurance, CII Diploma in Insurance and the CII Advanced Diploma in Insurance.
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the Chartered Insurance Institute for professional development and training opportunities.
Insurance account manager apprenticeships - what it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- the ability to sell products and services
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to use your initiative
- persistence and determination
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- maths knowledge
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
Insurance account manager apprenticeships - what you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In your day-to-day tasks you could:
- build good working relationships with brokers and other agents
- be responsible for several business accounts
- promote new insurance products and work to sales targets
- set up meetings to pitch and develop new business accounts
- work with insurance underwriters to adapt policies
- set up claims handling and support teams for new policies
- monitor team sales performance
- develop marketing literature
- make sure that all business meets strict financial services industry rules
Working environment
You could work in an office or from home.
Career path and progression - Insurance account manager apprenticeships
With experience and a good track record, you could be promoted into a senior sales or marketing role. You could also move into area management or senior management, supervising other managers and planning company strategies.
You could use your skills from this role in other areas, for example sales, marketing, business development or account handling.