We’re often asked by prospective students just how much training is actually needed to succeed as an independent adjuster.  It’s a great question, and while there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all answer, we would offer the following friendly guidance:

First, it should be stated emphatically that you will need more training than what you receive in a prelicensing course or exam study program.  Prelicensing courses are by rule concerned primarily with general insurance terms and concepts and then secondarily with particular aspects of policy.  What they are not concerned with is how to measure a roof, analyze property damage, interact with the insured, or any of the host of highly practical skills required in the everyday business of adjusting.  Unless you have 20 years construction experience, have been writing estimates all along in Xactimate, and have ridden along with your buddy on multiple property scopes and helped collate and submit the claims files, then you will probably want and need some additional training.

Adjusting 101 and Xactimate Training represent what we believe to be the fundamental training regimen advisable for most folks getting started.  Even for those intimately familiar with construction and even Xactimate, its likely that these areas aren’t understood in the particular context of handling an insurance claim – or, more to the point, understood in the light of how a claims office and their file review department want you to understand them.  You might understand the machine, but it’s just as important to know how to grease it and where.  So, Adjusting 101 covers the basics of what independent property adjusters do and why and how they do it.  Xactimate training takes you further into the process by initiating you into the artful science of writing a software based estimate that will win you friends in file review.

Once you’ve mastered, or at least laid the foundation, in these areas, you should consider further certification and training.  I would say at this point you are entering the realm of the “extras” – courses and certificates not absolutely indispensable to going out and working your first claim.  That said, these certifications and supplemental training may just mean all the difference to a potential employer and thus its difficult to overstate their value.  2 Story/Steep Rope & Harness Certification for example is an outstanding way to diversify your professional “portfolio” and anticipate an up and coming niche within the independent claims industry.  Earthquake Adjuster Accreditation won’t be used every year or even every other year but when the next big earthquake rocks California those with the certification will be the first on deployment.  In other cases such as State Farm Certification, it might actually be required by a prospective employer.  The main thing to takeaway here is that by adding certifications/training/licenses you add credibility to your resume and expand your opportunities for deployment.  Which particular courses to take depends on your own interests, feedback from potential employers, and time/budget constraints.

Finally, if you  know anyone who is an adjuster, ask them if you can tag along on a couple of their claims.  This will show you where the rubber meets the road and will be indispensable in forming your mind’s eye to see as an adjuster would.

In summary, don’t just stop with licensing.  If you had a driver’s license but had never been behind the wheel before, the license isn’t going to magically turn you into a good driver.  Supplement with basic scoping and Xactimate training, add certifications where appropriate, and lay a strong groundwork for a long and successful career.  Now is the time to start!