Get the training you need for jobs in reinsurance or get the education necessary to seek better reinsurance employment with educational opportunities that help you stay on top of business strategies, financial considerations and best practices. Whether you’re just starting out or seeking a management level reinsurance job, a degree, accreditation or specialized skills are a must.

Discover new reinsurance careers and obtain the training to land them with a variety of learning opportunities that cater to your current experience and education level. Ensure your success in the reinsurance field by:

1. Looking into training classes to learn the specialized skills needed for reinsurance jobs and ensure that you’re qualified for a variety of reinsurance career opportunities.
2. Attending seminars and workshops tailored for professionals seeking a career in reinsurance or looking to keep their skills sharp for reinsurance regulatory compliance jobs.
3. Seeking self-paced education to further your reinsurance career or qualify you for new reinsurance consulting jobs that you can complete at your convenience.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take courses to learn the necessary skills, compliance methods and strategies for a reinsurance job

If you're seeking a position through a reinsurance employment agency, ensure you meet the qualifications for the position you desire. Because reinsurance agencies primarily provide insurance to insurance agencies, a reputable certification or accreditation will make you more marketable in the field.

I recommend: Get training for reinsurance careers through the Reinsurance Education Institute. Courses cover contracts, property and casualty reinsurance and reunderwriting. Find reinsurance training providers and schools near you through Training-Classes.com. Kevin Oates offers a reinsurance education series covering such topics as auditing, the reinsurance control process and reinsurance accounting.

Sign up for seminars to update skills that reinsurance employment agencies require

Receive training for reinsurance jobs without the time commitment of an entire class series when you attend workshops designed as industry refresher courses or focused education on specific reinsurance business or regulatory topics.

I recommend: Booke Seminars offers training workshops for reinsurance careers discussing subjects like property and casualty insurance, the financial impact of reinsurance and underwriting and legal considerations. Attend conferences featuring training seminars discussing reinsurance issues presented by the Intermediaries and Reinsurance Underwriters Association.

Use online training as continuing education while on the job in reinsurance

Self-paced education allows you to keep up with developments necessary for reinsurance careers without taking time away from the job to receive it. Online courses and downloadable literature or webinars allow you to learn at your convenience and immediately apply your knowledge.

I recommend: Take advantage of virtual training opportunities from the New York Institute of Finance covering national and international insurance and reinsurance. The Learning Center offers self-paced courses providing an overview on the reinsurance market and methods.

Those with careers in reinsurance provide insurance to insurance agencies. This helps insurance agencies to issue larger policies to their clients. Reinsurance employment is available in many areas.

While it may be true that there is significant downsizing in the industry, reinsurance jobs often become available as older workers retire, change industries or otherwise stop working. With a bit of experience, you could be in a prime position to gain steady employment.

If you are interested in reinsurance careers, you should know:

1. Most companies prefer to hire someone that has a college degree. While a degree may not be specifically required for a job in reinsurance, it will certainly help, especially if you are applying for management level positions.

2. Networking with others in the industry could help you find reinsurance employment. These people may notify you of available positions before the company places job advertisements.

3. You can easily stay up to date on current industry news by joining a professional group such as the Reassurance Association of America. Member benefits include regular meetings and training sessions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start a career in reinsurance with an internship

An internship can help you learn the skills necessary for full-time reinsurance employment. Whether your ultimate career goal is to have reinsurance consulting jobs or reinsurance regulatory compliance jobs, an internship is a great way to start.

I recommend: The Intermediaries and Reinsurance Underwriters Association offers a summer internship for college students. You may also want to consider an internship with Guy Carpenter & Company.

Use a reinsurance employment agency to find the best positions

A professional recruiter has connections to reinsurance companies that can help you to get the job. They take the guesswork out of applying for jobs in reinsurance by only sending you to interview for positions that you are qualified for.

I recommend: Platzer Recruiting offers reinsurance industry jobs in the Connecticut area. The Regent Group can also help you find positions, particularly those at the executive level.

Look for careers in reinsurance abroad to experience the world

Some of the biggest reinsurance companies are not in the United States. This offers a perfect opportunity for reinsurance agents who want to try living in a foreign country.

I recommend: The Munchener Ruck Munich Re Group offers a variety of positions located in Germany. If Switzerland is more your style, check out the positions at the headquarters of Swiss Re. They also have positions located throughout the world.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you find that you're not getting as many callbacks as you like after sending out your resume for reinsurance jobs, have a professional resume writer give you some pointers for structuring your resume in a way that will get you the job. Sometimes just a few changes can make all the difference in the world.

Reinsurance can offer job hunters a promising career, but before sending in a resume, it's important to fully grasp the terms that people associate with reinsurance and reinsurance jobs. For example, what type of reinsurance job interests you? A documentation analyst and a claims analyst have different job duties. To perform your job correctly, you need to know everything about underwriting, risk transfer and proportional reinsurance. While there are a large number of industry terms, knowing these common reinsurance terms will help get you started.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Underwriter

The underwriter assesses how much a particular policy should be worth and how much the customer should pay for it. It's important for the underwriter to evaluate the potential risks involved with any customer to better make these estimations.

I recommend: InsureLane.com describes underwriting and the job duties of an underwriter.

Risk transfer

Insurance companies use reinsurance as a form of risk transfer. Holding a reinsurance policy transfers some of the risk to the reinsurance company.

I recommend: Air Worldwide discusses some of the ways that companies transfer risk.

Proportional reinsurance

In proportional reinsurance, the insurer cedes to its reinsurer a predetermined proportion of the liability and premium of those policies in the same proportion. For example, the company may agree to accept 40 percent of the risk if they also receive 40 percent of the policy premiums.

I recommend: Swiss Re offers a brief description and a more detailed downloadable brochure on proportional reinsurance.

Claims adjuster

Many who want to work in reinsurance get a job as a claims adjuster, also known as a claims analyst. The claims adjuster is responsible for handling a claim filed by a company. This includes processing the paperwork and also doing research, such as interviewing witnesses, to ensure that the claim is valid.

I recommend: The US Department of Labor publishes an Occupational Outlook Handbook. The section on insurance claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners and investigators discusses the job duties of the claims adjuster.

GAAP accounting

Generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP accounting, are a set of standards that policy boards set to ensure that companies follow the same principles with their accounting. This makes it easier for investors to compare companies. All who work in financial sectors must use GAAP accounting.

I recommend: Street Authority gives examples of GAAP accounting and explains why it is important.

NAIC

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) regulates the insurance industry to protect insurance consumers. Reinsurance agents must make sure that they follow the standards set by the NAIC.

I recommend: Learn more about the NAIC by visiting its website.