For those who don’t know me yet, I’m Kieran an insurance broker here at Sense Risk.
I knew nothing of the insurance sector before at sense risk on the 5th September this year apart from that I needed it for my car In case I crashed or if it was stolen. But once I started here a whole new world has opened up to me and I have been shown just how important insurance really is and just how many risks businesses and individuals face.
In this article I will talk about my experience entering the world of insurance for the first time and how I have found it so far.
Month 1 – Getting Started
My first month was a lot to digest. Information coming at me and acronyms I had no idea even existed. Week by week I began learning the very basics and whilst questioning “why is this needed?” and “what does that mean?” I did begin to pick some small things up and start understanding my new role, employer and insurance bit by bit.
To accompany all of this I also experienced networking for the first time- as dauting as it was talking to a room full of strangers, but I surprised even myself and in fact found myself to be confident in this environment and therefore enjoyed it.
Towards the end of the month we visited Weston college to talk to students about career prospects and hopefully increase the interest in this sector amongst students.
Month 2 – Expanding My Knowledge
October I had my first few client visits, seminars to expand my knowledge, work on insurance, legal and regulatory (IF1) with the aim to pass my first exam by November and general day to day broking. Still learning new words and policies although my understanding was improving and I stopped asking the “why do they need this?” questions as I could look at a clients risks and begin to identify some of their basic risks.
On the 31st October after two months of studying and revision and a couple of guided revision sessions on chapters I was not confident in. I sat my exam for IF1. Although feeling a little nervous as this was my first exam for a few years I passed and came away feeling happy.
Month 3 – Gaining More Independence
The last month has seen me gain more independence and autonomy writing emails to clients, using the quote systems, calling underwriters and processing claims. This has been very fulfilling and makes me feel more a part of the team as I am able to contribute at the same time. I also started my next textbook M05 insurance law as I continue to work toward my ACII accreditation.
Summary
Although it has only been 3 months so far, I have gained so much knowledge, confidence and experience over my apprenticeship in insurance so far. It’s been a lot but I am happy to say I’m enjoying it and everyday I’m learning something new. I am looking forward to the future and working towards passing my exams and getting my qualifications.
If you are interested in how my apprenticeship journey progresses, keep an eye out for more blogs and news coming in the future. And don’t hesitate to reach out if you are interested in an apprenticeship in insurance and want to ask me any questions about my experience so far.
