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American Income Life

Part of Globe Life

Engaged Employer

It's not for everybody. - Insurance Agent American Income Life Employee Review

1.0
May 9, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. A lot of inspiration. 2. Great motivation. 3. Good team members. 4. Seemly nice management. 5. Independent contractor. 6. Potential to make a lot of money. 7. Work alone with out a boss right next to you watching everything. 8. Bonus checks. 9. Prizes when you do well with company contests. 10. Everything has been thought of and planned to teach people who have never worked in marketing to be a good salesman.

Cons

1. The inspiration is great, however, there is such a thing as too much. No negativity in this work place it's not allowed, period. 2. Unrealistic expectations and goals. 3. Crazy working hours, (70 hours a week minimum) pretty much have to be young without a family or children. 4. Weeks without pay, it's all commission based and if you have a couple bad weeks you've worked hard and have nothing to show. 5. Training program is like a conveyer belt, they quickly train you and throw you out to be alone before you're truly ready. 6. Need to know basis, you don't get told what you should be until they believe you need to know it. 7. Charge backs and trials. If a policy doesn't go through due to for example health or background issues then you will get a charge back for the advanced commission you make from a sale. A trial means you could write 5 sales and then get paid on none and still have no check if they are all trialed. Therefore, you don't always know when this will happen and you have no idea how long you'll be waiting for it to be approved or denied. 8. This is lead driven business and you only get 75 to work with for 1 month. This is good for the first 2 weeks then they dwindle down and so does the paycheck. Must be good at referral collection and they are the hardest to book appointments with. So if you need a consistent paycheck this isn't the place for you. 9. Many Leads are old, or have been seen already and aren't interested and just want the free benefits. 10. Every year seeing policy holders over and over again. These are people the believe in the product and are likely to add more coverage at times but this is a flawed tactic. They don't want to be bothered every single year because they already bought and shouldn't be bugged constantly. Not to mention every year getting a new agent looks bad and sends the wrong message. They aren't sure who they are going to get. And not all agents represent the company well. 11. Constant mandatory meetings. It becomes annoying that you're already working all the time but also you have to spend hours every week in meetings. And it doesn't change after 6 months. 12. Treating independent contractors like regular employees. They set your schedule and you have to stick with it and don't get the freedom a real independent contractor gets. 13. If you quit make sure you wait for all your business to come through and don't write any new business that week And quit after you receive all of your checks. Otherwise, getting your last paycheck can be difficult. Advice for this job. Unless your single and young don't take it. It's not the job you want to do when you have children or a spouse at home. It's not a bad job but you have to put everything you have into it to get some where. Because when you're not working you're studying! Retirement is "10 years" after you work there. But that really counts on your ability to sell insurance and hang in there during the ruff times. Because your retirement is money you accumulate from all of your sales. No sales = no paycheck = no retirement. Don't fall for their sales pitch or their scripted conversations they have to motivate you to stick with it. Do what you want and stay if YOU want to stay. Of course they want you to stay because when you make money so do they from you. Just make sure it is truly what you want before doing it. I've known people to face divorce during this job and even people not having a place to live. But then there are people driving nice cars with multiple homes working there. Like I said it's not for every one.

Explore other reviews about American Income Life

5.0
May 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I love this company. I am part of a fabulous team.

Cons

None this is a great company

avatar
American Income Life Response
1mo
Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you're enjoying the supportive culture, flexible schedule, and the opportunity to make a generous living while offering valuable financial protection to working families. With a persistent work ethic, this career can be extremely rewarding. Best wishes for future success at American Income Life.
4.0
Sep 2, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

So many pros here....let's start with: 1) Freedom & flexibility- the ability to be an independent contractor (1099 associate) who can set their own hours, work pace, and income level. 2) Preparation for the future- It is also nice that you can utilize AIL to gain valuable knowledge about sales, marketing, business development, communications and almost any other valuable skill/trait you would normally acquire in a university/college setting before setting out into the professional world. AIL is a great place for people to develop a solid core for what may lie ahead in their future for what they ultimately want to do for the rest of their lives. 3) A fully-vested, Union-protected 10-year renewal plan makes achieving whatever you want to do in life possible- whether it is starting your own business or a non-profit, without taking out huge small business loans. Work hard now- enjoy the financial benefits for the rest of your life. 4) The socialization aspect: from policyholders to co-workers to the random person that opens up the door to you on a daily basis there is never a boring day @ AIL. In short, we get paid to drive, talk, and help educate people on how to be financially literate when it comes to insurance and savings. Also, we get invited to BBQ's, family functions, and many other cool events from our members. It is impossible to work @ AIL and not develop a strong social network as a result of working here! 5) The opportunity to be given recognition and additional responsibilities based on your own results, instead of on tenure or who you know 6) Legitimate 6-figure income reality...I've personally only had 1 year under $100,000 and I took a ton of time off that year. I had never made more than 50,000 per year working 60-70 hours per week in retail prior to AIL. 7) Good Senior Leadership/Mentors: although rare, this company truly some fantastic individuals sitting in high-profile & decision-making positions within the company...many of whom truly live the company's mottos and operating principles to the 'T' 8) Ability to rebound quickly in a financial crisis- whether it happens directly or indirectly to you there a very few professional opportunities where you can go make an extra 10K or so the following month, even if you are not a manager. While money is the root of all evil, it can also help you do great by and support those around when times get tough. As long as someone focuses on the beneficial aspects of the monetary opportunity at AIL they will be in a good place. 9) Running your own business- as long as you are showing results and growth, you can run your own office(s) with nearly absolute autonomy. But, unlike running your own traditional business, you have the support of a Fortune 700 company and its senior leaders when you need it. It's the best of both world's really.

Cons

NOTE: Every individual AIL office is franchised and no two are exactly alike in nature...just like a fast-food chain or multiple-location gym. Depending on your SGA (AIL franchise-owner), RGA, MGA, and other upline managers, you may have the above-mentioned freedom & financial opportunities inhibited by several factors including: 1) Micromanagement- many managers treat their associates like W-2 employees in their daily interactions with them and should be reminded of the 6-Point Test for Independent Contractors to help them develop a working relationship that is more true to the nature of their contract. Recommend to do something, but not require them to do something. Small but huge difference between the two. 2) Too heavy of a focus on the scripts- teach your associates the script and it's key components but don't hold back their creativity and interpretation of the presentation- remember, you hired them because they were intelligent beings (I hope)...not script-reciting robots. 3) Mandatory Meetings- yikes, this is a huge legal volcano waiting to bury the SGA's of this company. Recommend attendance and explain why it is important associates are there...and leave it at that. 4) Lack of accountability from senior management- remember, you are not infallible...quit making promises you can't back up and if you fail to uphold your end of the bargain, make it right in whatever way possible! 5) Buddy-buddy system- depending on the SGA, many are very cliquey and develop too tight of an inner-circle where the general attitude becomes very akin to a fanatic cult. Stay true to your standards and guidelines, not to who challenges you the least and edifies the very ground you walk on 6) Chargebacks and selective underwriting- you may actually owe the money back to the company if you submit a policy that does not get issued due to health, even though sometimes the insured met the underwriting guidelines of the field guide you were issued. AIL also does not like to underwrite large policies for some reason. 7) Too many traps in the bonus system- many times as a senior manager I have not earned the bonuses I projected on earning because of the several pitfalls in the bonus system, such as the quality of the downline manager (the manager you are supervising), the fact that your downline managers did not code enough new associates (even though you might have) 8) The Peter-principle- associates are promoted to management positions to rapidly in many SGAships across AIL so they never get a chance to fully grow into their previous role and end up failing miserably at everything. Give junior associates more time to hone their skills before throwing the next task(s) at them. If you want to grow so bad, go do it yourself and stop forcing others to take on your responsibilities.

2230
avatar
American Income Life Response
8y
Thank you for your thorough review of the AIL opportunity. We appreciate you taking the time to help others understand the uniqueness of our Independent Agent position. We enjoy seeing our agents succeed and know that hard work and dedication is a staple of a successful AIL agent. We thank you for being a part of our AIL family!
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