Pros
Work independently. Meet new people. Theoretically, can make a lot of money. Theoretically, set own schedule.
Cons
'll start with the interview process: technically, there is a three part interview process, with parts 1 and 2 occurring on the same day. Calling it an interview process though is being generous. The first part consisted of meeting one of the career or management agents, who quickly reviewed my resume and instructed me to go to the big room and watch a power point presentation and listen to the MGA extol the virtues of working for AIL with about 30 other candidates. After that, I once again met with the first person I saw, who basically asked me if I had any questions, and then told me I would get a call if I was chosen for a further interview. Within a couple of hours, I received a phone call for the third part of the interview process. I expected to be asked about my previous work experience and was not. Essentially, the benefits of working for the company were extolled once again, I was asked what I could bring to the company and then offered the job. The next part of the process is the licensing process. You are not paid during this period at all. Depending on your state, it can cost upwards of $400. You are expected to attend weekly meetings, where you are indoctrinated in the awesome that is AIL. And then you are questioned and urged to finish the online course as soon as possible, so you can take the exam and get licensed. Once licensed, you begin your training. Again, you are not paid unless your trainer is kind enough to write business in your name. As you move through the training, you can start writing business and of course, once you're in the field, you can start making money. I was told that I would make about $500/week while I was in training. I made that one week, got charge backs on those sales, and did not make more than $50 for the next two or three weeks. I have mixed feelings about the script. It's nice to have something to fall back onto but it is not designed for all situations and you are expected to parrot it verbatim. Sometimes, the words you are saying just don't make sense in the situation. My final release was a bit of a joke and the suggestion I made to improve the training process was dismissed with a 'you'll learn it as you do it.' As for the sales itself: you're encouraged to make as many as 10-14 appointments a day, with the understanding that you will not make all of those appointments. In theory, you are supposed to call the people you miss when it becomes obvious you won't make the appointment, but my trainer certainly never did that and it is difficult to excuse yourself while with the client to make that call. The theory for making so many appointments is that, given the law of numbers, you will sell 1 family for every 3 presentations you do. There is a huge push to sell and get as many referrals as possible. And that brings me to the referral process: when hired, I was told that there was no cold calling, that people I was calling to set appointments with were expecting me to call. Well, that's not precisely true. Sure, for people in the lead packs, they have technically consented to being contacted by AIL because they sent in a hard card or have a policy, or accepted some of the no-cost benefits at one point. But when it comes to referrals, you're asking your clients to provide to you a list of people and their numbers so that you can contact them, offer them the no cost benefits and hopefully sell them, or if not sell them, at least get them to give you more referrals. And your referrals often have no idea why you are calling because the person who referred them never told them you were calling. Depending on your office, either the lead pack will be prioritized, or referrals will. Also, not every lead in the lead pack is good - I have had several where the lead was contacted by another representative a few months ago, so then they get angry that I'm contacting them again. Call nights are tedious because there are lots of hang ups, not interested or just plain not answering. And if you don't fill your schedule to management's satisfaction, you're expected to go in the next morning to make calls and fill the rest of your schedule. Let's talk about turn over. This was actually a question I asked my trainer, because as time went on, I noticed how a lot of the people I first saw in the office were no longer there. According to my trainer, 1 in 4 people hired actually stay. My trainer couched it in terms of people not finishing the licensing process for whatever reason. I believe that the reality of it is that a lot of people find that they are not making the money they were told they were going to make and aren't hitting the numbers the agency wants one to hit. I know I'm not and I'm both anticipating and dreading a discussion with my manager regarding that. I'll put it this way: of the four people that started training with me, only one other person has stayed on. Of the training class before me, none have stayed on. Of the training class after me, it looks like maybe one has stayed. Turn over is high and they are constantly hiring, claiming that they are seeking to 'expand' their office because business is so good and the demand is high. Indoctrination is next. I think this bothers me the most. As an agent of the company, I don't need to be sold on how awesome the company is, especially when the sales pitch is rather disingenuous. I'm told that if I work really hard, I can make 6 figures. I'm told how I can move into management very quickly, that AIL will set me up for life with renewal checks, and I'm told a cute story about another agent who found success. Which, fine, I get it, you're supposed to keep people motivated. But it comes off as oily and if I'm working for the company, you don't need to keep giving me the sales pitch. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, let's talk about quality of life. And by that, I mean yours. You are expected to work 6 days a week. You are expected to be in the field, a minimum of 6 hours, but that can be longer and often is. You are expected to work until at least 9 PM, which can mean you're not getting home until 11 or midnight. If you have a family, do not expect to see them. If you want to hang out with friends, do not expect to be able to do that. If you want to do anything social, don't expect to be able to do so unless you're able to do that on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. I honestly don't know how some of the people with families are able to work this job because they never see them. When I was interviewed, I was told I was expected to work 1-9. No mention was made that if you get into your 9PM appointment, you're not actually getting home until at least two hours later. As for my personal experience, I have often felt that I am an afterthought in my office. Example: after I finished my two day training, I went to the office to begin my field training and was told that, oh, you're not starting field training today, why are you here? The MGA spends time with other agents, goes to them to ask how they are doing, but I'm almost never approached. It is disconcerting.
