Is Online Insurance Continuing Education a Good Option?
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Registered insurance adjusters and agents are required to maintain their professional standing by meeting the requirements of their industry. This includes maintaining proficiency in best practices and knowledge of regulatory changes through the completion of regular Insurance Continuing Education (CE) training. Each state has their own licensing requirements, but all require some form of continuing education to maintain a license. Each states insurance licensing board usually requires a number of continuing education credits be attained every two years. The training provider must be certified to teach in the state in which the insurance agents are licensed. Insurance CE training has historically been offered in a traditional classroom setting or in hotel conference rooms. The licensee attends lectures which are followed by an exam. Once an exam is passed the results are submitted to the states licensing board where the credits are recorded. A minimum number of credits must be passed within a two year period in order to renew their license. Receiving training in a classroom-like setting has its benefits. Most people are comfortable with this style of learning and there is direct contact and discussion with the other class members. Students can network, and compare notes. Lessons can be discussed and questions asked. In spite of these merits, classroom training has disadvantages which may make it an unattractive option for those seeking to maintain their insurance license requirements. The training cost is relatively high because it involves travel and meals, use of rented space, and hiring a professional trainer. Most classes are offered during the week during business hours, causing lost productivity. Typically, upon completing the program, the insurance professional is required to report the training credits to the state licensing board, which represents a further loss of time. The insurance professional is required to report their training credits to the state insurance board themselves, potentially resulting in lost time away from work. Online insurance continuing education provides a number of benefits which address the shortcomings of traditional classroom training. Some of the advantages include the following: The cost of training is lower than a classroom based course. Often it is a percentage of the usual cost. Online insurance CE training is available at any time (including nights or weekends). Its accessible whenever the professional has some spare time in his or her schedule. Students can move through the lessons at their own pace or revisit previous modules to reinforce a concept. Insurance adjusters and agents can fulfill their training requirements in one place if they are licensed to operate in more than one state. Some online insurance CE schools permit the student to re-take their certification exams until they are passed, at no additional cost. Many insurance CE providers report achieved training credits to the licensing board automatically, in the states where this is allowed. Reporting of training credits to the licensing board is done automatically by some online insurance CE course providers upon exam completion (where this is allowed by the individual state). Insurance companies that sign up their employees for training can keep track of training requirements and monitor the licensing status of each employee through a web interface. Online insurance CE courses are generally delivered through presentation slides that are displayed in the users web browser. Virtually all computer users today know how to use a web browser. No specialized computer skills are required. Some online Insurance CE courses now provide multimedia support that augments the presentation slides. Insurance professionals should choose an online Insurance CE provider that includes audio training as a complement to on-screen slides. For example, the audio can be downloaded as a podcast and the insurance professional can listen and learn while driving to an appointment. If youve considered taking your Insurance CE online now may be the best time to do it. Many Insurance CE providers are offering special package deals that offer you unlimited courses for a reasonable price. Not only will you save a lot of time and money, but you can complete your Insurance CE in the comfort of your preferred location and at a time that is convenient to you. About the Author:
Bruce MacMillian is the President and CEO of CEU.com. CEU offers online multimedia-rich insurance continuing education to licensed insurance professionals in the United States.
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