Case studies: Loss adjuster: James

James has a degree in economics. He is now a loss adjuster for a large insurance firm...

After his degree, James knew he wanted to work in business and started to look at careers in insurance. It took a while to discover the option of loss adjusting, as relatively few new graduates enter the profession, which is undergoing considerable changes in the face of increasing competition between firms for insurance companies' business. A spell working in claims, however, gave James the chance to find out more.

James works for the Birmingham branch of a large insurance claims management and loss adjusting firm, which has branches across the UK. He works across the West Midlands region.

'Most people can see the appeal of the company car and regular travel for work,' says James. The chance to provide a genuine face-to-face service also appealed to him, compared with some roles in finance which can become rather impersonal, to his mind.

That initial job handling claims gave James the chance to gain a position as an assistant insurance loss adjuster. Several years of very hard work followed, as his employers encouraged him to gain Associate status in the . This meant combining a full-time job with regular study for the CII exams. While this qualification is not technically necessary, it strengthens a loss adjuster's credibility and can be required for many senior positions.

James currently specialises in medium-sized commercial claims, although he does occasionally help with larger domestic claims. He acts as an intermediary between the policyholder and the insurer and with commercial claims there may well be more than one. He is responsible for ensuring that the settlement is fair to all sides.

The work involves responding to losses as and when they are reported, so James' working week is inevitably difficult to predict. He often reaches the scene of an incident within hours, one factor meaning that James often works over his stated 37-hour week, and spends a considerable amount of time in transit.

From the moment he receives instructions from an insurer to validate and occasionally investigate claims, through to settlement, James is frequently liaising with and coordinating the work of many others. These can include the emergency services, forensic investigators, building contractors and others.

James finds that his work requires the capacity to gather, process and use large amounts of information on a daily basis - something the style rather than the content of his degree prepared him for well.

One specific skill he does still use from his studies is numeracy. IT skills are also important, as James completes as much work as possible at or near the scene of a claim, working on a laptop.

He has also learned to be a clear communicator and strong negotiator, enabling him to give clear direction to the many others he is in contact with and to uphold his duty to be impartial. 'It is also important to be content with your own company for large parts of the day, as you will be travelling regularly and away from daily contact with your direct colleagues.'

Having joined as a relatively recent graduate, James is currently trying to decide whether to aim for management or specialisation as his next career move. Many of his colleagues previously gained qualifications in fields such as accountancy or surveying, and tend to be first in line for specialist roles, but James sees the travel and constant contact with a variety of people as a key part of the job's appeal.

For the moment, James is glad to have found this relatiively unsung career option and be successfully qualified and practising.