COVER STORY
COVER STORY
The Appren tice
The Advocate
PADDY POWER , WRIGHT INSURANCE BROKERS, WAS ONE OF
OUR FIRST EVER APPRENTICES AND IS A GREAT ADVOCATE
FOR THE SCHEME. WE HEAR WHY HE FEELS THAT EVERYONE
SHOULD THINK ABOUT INSURANCE AS A CAREER AND HOW IT'S
C O M P L E T E LY D I F F E R E N T T O W H AT P E O P L E T H I N K I T I S .
IN AN INDUSTRY THAT IS ALL ABOUT
PEOPLE, MANY NEWER ENTRANTS FEEL
THAT THEIR COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS
ARE GOOD. EMPLOYERS HOWEVER
DON'T SEEM TO AGREE. HAVING
SPENT MOST OF THEIR TEENAGE
YEARS COMMUNICATING VIA
MOBILE DEVICES, MELANIE
MACDONALD, ACII, FROM
CAMPIONS INSURANCE,
IS HELPING TO FIND
A WAY OF BRINGING
THEM OUT OF THEIR
DIGITAL SHELLS
WITH HER NXGEN
INITIATIVE AND
G R A D U A L LY R E -
LEARN THE FINE
ART OF TALKING.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU GOT YOUR
APPRENTICESHIP?
I was working in hospitality and had been for 15 years. I was good at
it and enjoyed it. But after I got married and we had our first child,
the 12-hour shifts and weekend work began to take their toll. I knew
it was time to change and I felt that the apprenticeship gave me the
perfect opportunity to have a job that would be more structured
and allow me to spend time with my family.
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WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE
APPRENTICESHIP?
When I saw the role advertised, the first thing that
struck me was that it said no experience necessary,
but they wanted someone with people skills,
which was perfect for me. As a career changer, I
accepted that I'd have to take a drop in salary,
but the fact it was an 'earn-as-you-learn'
p rogramme, leading to a BA (Hons) degree in
Insurance Practice after three years, I knew
that this was for me!
WHAT ARE THE MAIN BENEFITS OF
DOING THIS APPRENTICESHIP FOR
YOU?
I'm getting on-the-job experience
combined with college tuition, and
with the 9-to-5 structure, I can
actually plan family activities four to
five weeks in advance, something I
couldn't consider in my last job.
The great thing though for me is that
I know, in the long term, when I get my
degree, I'll earn at least the same as I did
working all the hours in hospitality, if
not more.
Paddy Pow e r rs
YOU HAVE
TO HAVE A
WILLINGNESS
TO LEARN AND
TO START AT
THE BOTTOM
AND WORK
YOUR WAY UP
Mel a n ie MacDo n ald r,
Ma nage
LL B, AC II, Re latio nship
Ca mpion In sura nc e
WHY DID YOU START NXGEN?
I feel it is important to provide a
platform for newer, perhaps less
experienced entrants in our industry to
develop personally and professionally.
WHY IS NETWORKING SO
IMPORTANT TO THE INSURANCE
SECTOR?
Insurance is all about people. It's an
industry where a lot of our meetings
are still done face to face. Therefore it
is essential that newer entrants develop
the interpersonal skills and business
network as early as they can in their
career to set them up for the future.
HOW CAN PEOPLE GET
I N VO LV E D I N N XG E N ?
The initiative launched with the
backing of The Insurance Institute
and the Dublin council earlier
this year. We are currently
looking into the next event, but
in the meantime, people can
join our LinkedIn group via
The Insurance Institute's main
LinkedIn page.
linkedin.com/school/the-
insurance-institute-of-ireland
NETWORKING PLAYS
A HUGE PART IN
OUR PROFESSION.
THAT IS WHY I FEEL
S O PA S S I O N AT E LY
ABOUT NXGEN
Broke
Wright In sura nc e
Issue 7 • September 2018 • The Insider
Issue 7 • September 2018 • The Insider
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