informal relationship with an academic department might be enough .
INTERNSHIP DURATION
Internships generally are a one-time experience for the student . They last anywhere from a month to a year , and the typical college internship lasts one semester or a summer . High School internships may last a school year and / or summer .
EXAMPLES OF INTERNSHIPS
1 . An insurance agency rotated students through various departments for 1-2 weeks each . The students were assigned special projects that required their Excel and PowerPoint skills . The students learned from sessions with managers , company meetings , and field visits with marketing reps and claims adjusters . An insurance agency utilized students to assess properties on the agency ’ s books that had not been reviewed recently . Using internet aerial photography and on site surveys and photos , the agency then was able to make better recommendations regarding coverage to the property owners .
2 . A third party administrator ( TPA ) had a student conduct a benchmarking survey of the cost of claims for a particular region . The student was able to document the relative cost savings produced by the TPA . The TPA then expanded the survey and the student even produced promotional information that was used nationally .
3 . A managing general agency trained students to identify missing or questionable information in applications received . In some cases , students were allowed to directly contact agents submitting applications to obtain the needed information .
4 . An agency assigned a student to help in processing claims . The student identified information that was missing or required clarification for the claims manager .
5 . An agency had a student work with the marketing manager to handle applications to carriers and to respond to carrier requests for additional information .
Ideas for duties and internship tasks :
• Communicate with insureds and prospects
• Personalize template letters and email
• Post to social media
• Initiate auto / home pre-renewal communication
• Generate quotes ( personal & business ) using comparative rater and carrier proprietary systems
• Generate Auto ID Cards & Certificates of Insurance
• Prepare Account Proposals
• Enter / Update insured data in agency management systems
• Poll insureds for preferred means of communication and update agency system
• Initiate direct mail or solicitation campaign – cross sell , upsell , new prospects
• Launch a special project – one the agency has not been staffed to initiate and complete
Identify other tasks which agency employees suggest , especially those which CSRs and Producers may consider busy work and detract from more productive endeavors .
WHO DO YOU WANT ?
Once the needs are identified , a job description must be drafted that includes job duties , as well as qualifications desired : specific major , computer skills , class level , etc . The job description also should include a description of the application procedure , the pay range ( if it ’ s a paid internship ) and the duration of the internship . The description should also indicate citizenship requirements or if international students are eligible .
WHERE DO YOU FIND INTERNS ?
Some colleges have insurance departments or
24 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER