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Claims adjuster

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Career outlook for claims adjuster

UK Salary Ranges

Entry-level

£20,000

Experienced

£65,000

Currently employed in Scotland

5,800

Salary information is provided by the "National Careers Service". "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.

What's it like?

You would investigate damage to people’s property or to businesses. You’d decide how much money the insurance company should pay in compensation.

You’d look into large or complicated claims on behalf of an insurance company.

You would usually specialise in either domestic household claims from individuals or commercial claims by businesses.

They could be claiming compensation for anything from damage due to a fire or a flood, to loss because of theft or fraud.

You would:

  • visit sites to see the damage
  • interview customers about the claim
  • gather evidence, such as security camera footage and police reports
  • request detailed reports from specialists, like building surveyors
  • check that the policy will cover the loss and that the customer is claiming a reasonable amount
  • organise clean-up or salvage operations, or arrange large-scale building repairs
  • make further investigations if you suspect fraud
  • give evidence in court in fraud cases
  • complete relevant paperwork
  • present a report to the insurers, with recommendations on how much should be paid out
  • advise claimants on how to avoid further losses

You might carry out several inspections a day. With more complicated claims, it could take you several days to process one claim.

Working conditions

Hours

You would usually work standard office hours, Monday to Friday. When there are emergency insurance claims because of accidents and natural disasters, you may need to work evenings and weekends. Part-time work may be possible, although you would need to be flexible with your hours.

Travel

You would spend a lot of your time out on the road, visiting people in their homes or commercial premises. You would usually cover a set geographical region.

UK employment status

Full-time

74%

Part-time

10%

Self employed

17%

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  • Verbal communication
  • Evaluating
  • Working with numbers
  • Questioning
  • Researching
  • Empathising
  • Developing a plan
  • Managing resources
  • Taking initiative
  • Negotiating

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Getting in

Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.

Foundation Apprenticeships

Choosing a Foundation Apprenticeship as one of your subjects in S5 and S6 can help you get a head start with this type of job.

You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification (the same level as a Higher) plus valuable work placement experience and skills you can't learn in a classroom.

Interested? Find out what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.

Qualifications

You would need an honours degree (SCQF level 10) at 2:2 or above to enter graduate training or you can work towards relevant Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) qualifications while in a claims or management job.

Larger insurance broking companies increasingly offer graduate training programmes,

Degrees in accountancy, business, engineering, insurance, law or surveying and relevant work experience are helpful prior to training in loss adjusting. 

Useful subjects

  • English (required by most courses and employers)
  • maths (required by most courses and employers)
  • accounts
  • economics
  • business subjects
  • ICT subjects 

You will also need

To qualify as a loss adjuster while in a relevant job you will need to complete the Diploma of the Chartered Institute of Insurance (CII) with claims management.

To become a CILA Associate and get Chartered Loss Adjuster status you must pass three CILA exams and have five years' experience as an independent loss adjuster.