Hello there, welcome to this informative guide on becoming a Hartford Insurance Agent.
Getting a license is mandatory whether you are considering selling casualty insurance, health insurance, life insurance, or a combination of any of these lines of authority.
You will get to know everything about how to become a Hartford Insurance Agent and how to get started.
In this article, we will cover the following:
According to the Hartford insurance laws, you must undergo the 5-step process to obtain your insurance license.
The first step to becoming a Hartford Insurance Agent is getting your Connecticut insurance license.
Here we go!
How To Get Your Hartford Insurance License
Getting your license in Hartford is easy if you follow the instructions. Here is the step-by-step process.
Step 1: Determine The Insurance Type You Need
Before you begin working towards the process of getting that insurance in Hartford, you must first make up your mind about the type of insurance you want to sell.
The most common licenses that newbie insurance agents sign for are the life and health insurance license, property and casualty license.
The policies you choose to specialize in will determine the kind of license you must obtain.
Here are some of the policies which you can sell in Hartford with each license you consider obtaining.
- Property & Casualty Insurance License:
This license will serve policies such as home insurance, Auto Insurance, Business Insurance or commercial insurance, and others of that nature.
- Life and Health Insurance License:
This type of license covers policies such as Life Insurance, Annuities, Health Insurance, Medicare, and so on.
Most insurance producers and agents in Hartford prefer getting both Property & Casualty Insurance and Life and Health insurance.
This improves their earning potential because it allows them to tap into a wider market rather than just specializing in selling one type of insurance.
However, as an aspiring agent should you wish to specialize in only a single category then you don’t have to obtain every license.
Also if you are an insurance adjuster, you will need a separate license which is known as an Insurance Adjuster License.
One last thing to note is that if you decide to specialize as a life insurance agent you might also need to obtain some kind of FINRA securities license.
Step 2: Obtain The Pre-license Education
After you have decided which type of policies you are going to sell in Hartford, the next obvious thing is getting your Hartford pre-license education.
You have the option to take your insurance pre-license course online.
These courses are for the purpose of equipping you with the skills you require to pass the test.
The various types of licenses that you choose will determine the courses you take.
Every line of authority in the state of Connecticut where Hartford is located will vary in terms of the pre-license education hours required.
For example, a Property and Casualty license requires you to take eighty(80) hours of the pre-licensing course.
As for the Life, Accident & Health, you will require around 40 hours of the pre-licensing course.
Note how the number of hours varies between the two types of policies.
Upon completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion which you will need to keep and present when you take your licensing exam.
Step 3: Hartford Insurance License Exam
After you finish all your pre-licensure coursework, you will automatically qualify for the exam.
You will need to take one exam for every combined line of insurance that you intend to sell.
However, the licenses and exams are offered at two combined lines.
The Life, Accident, and Health(LA&H) and the Property and Casualty(P&C) are an equivalent of four lines but they are present as two lines.
The exam happens in an environment with supervision present.
If you are not used to taking your exam in such an environment, it is important that you prepare mentally for this scenario.
This is to avoid a situation where you find out at the last minute that this is so and then get into panic mode.
This is a situation that comes from a lack of mental preparation for such a time.
Taking your exams in Hartford will cost you $105 per attempt.
Also when showing up at the exam center to take the exam, you will need to present two IDs which are the photo ID and the original or paper copy of your pre-license certification.
Submitting an electronic copy of this certificate will automatically be rejected.
Also, remember that for your results to be considered a pass, you must score 70% or higher on each one of those tests to pass.
Have a look at the various insurance exam guides available online to serve as a guide for you in passing your exams.
Remember that insurance license tests are not easy but they are not difficult to pass either.
Study until you understand everything and can comfortably sit for that exam.
Failing the exam means you need to try again but don’t despair and feel that you have no hope of becoming an insurance agent in Hartford.
You can still retake the exam even though this will come at an extra cost.
The Connecticut state requirements indicate that you study for one exam, pass it, and then begin your next line.
The exam is difficult on its own and taking more than one at a time will confuse you even further.
Step 4: Applying For The Insurance Licenses
After completing your exams, you can now apply for your license.
Applying for a license means you will be a business owner operating the business of selling insurance.
It is a form of business whether you will be an independent agent or work under an insurance agency.
If you took more than one line of authority then ensure that applications for the licenses of those lines of authority are done.
You will be charged an online application fee of $140.
In case you want to include an additional line of authority to your license in the future, it will cost you an amendment fee of $130.
Step 5: A Review Of Your Application
After submitting your license application and having met all the other requirements by the state, your application will then have to undergo scrutiny by the state.
Your background check will also undergo scrutiny, after all, a sensitive field like insurance requires a clean background with no criminal record and a great deal of honesty.
After undergoing a background check and everything under scrutiny falls under the acceptable standards then you will receive your license soon after.
However, if there are any issues arising after a background check, then further reviews will be done and this will of course derail the license issuance process.
If such a case occurs you will find that the state will reach out to you and ask you to offer clarity on the issues arising during the review.
A period of 7-10 business days is all it takes for the review process to be complete and the license issued.
After the license has been issued you will now officially join the Hartford agents.
After Your Hartford Insurance Agent License
After passing your exam and completing your licensing application, you are now officially a licensed insurance agent in Hartford.
Now you have your license, what comes next? You could begin by joining the Hartford insurance agency network.
You will obtain a Hartford agent login details into a Hartford agent portal where a Hartford insurance agents locator will link you to not only potential policyholders but also efficient marketing tools that will be very helpful in closing a deal.
There are various group benefits that come with joining a network of insurance producers in Hartford.
You also have the option to apply to join any other reputable Hartford insurance agency or just start a small business as an independent agent in Hartford.
If you are joining the Hartford agency, make sure you have the right securities license.
Take note of the fact that you might have to renew your license regularly every two years.
Conclusion
Being an insurance agent in Hartford and finally landing a job working under the Hartford Insurance Agency is possible.
The Hartford insurance agents must meet all the qualifications as we have seen.
It is a company that steers your insurance career to higher heights thanks to its well-designed electronic business center that is accessed by having the Hartford agent login details.
