Yes, if you wish to earn an extra income or if you are looking for the job or if you fail to get the job because you are not qualified; you can think of becoming an insurance agent. You can make a career in the insurance industry by becoming a POS agent.
This opportunity is open for one and all, who are just 10th passed. You just need to register with any of the insurance company or insurance broking company. Take initial training as per your convenience and start selling policies & earn income in form of commissions. Get the expertise of the insurance companies & learn the skill of selling policies. Any person, may they be fresher’s, housewives, working professionals, students, retired persons, business man’s etc. can be become insurance agent.
In order to increase the insurance penetration & facilitate the growth of insurance business, there was an intense need of huge number of agents/distributors. To get increased number of insurance agents on board quickly, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) in 2015, allowed for a new type of distribution channel to source insurance business called as the point of sales (POS).
Let us understand in detail – Point of sales channel!
It was observed that, there were good numbers of people who are engaged in various activities related to insurance business who are not qualified to sell the insurance products but have gained good knowledge in insurance over a period of time. While bulk of people with minimum qualification could be imparted training related to insurance products and business for selling insurance policies. Taking the observations into consideration point of sales channel was launched for solicitation of insurance business with the help of people of minimum qualification i.e. 10th passed.
Products in Life insurance, Health/Travel insurance (Mediclaim/Critical illness/Hospital Cash), Motor insurance (Own damage & Third party), Personal accident insurance, Home insurance, Crop Insurance etc. are easy to sell if they are provided preunderwritten upto specific Sum Insured. Hence, preunderwritten products amongst the mentioned categories that were simple to understand, and in which the benefits are stated upfront, fixed and predefined were identified for sell through point of sales. Based on the limited required information provided by the customer, the insurance policy is automatically generated by the system requiring minimal intervention & expertise with help of such products.
Working opportunity for Job seekers as Point of Sales person: Become a POS agent!
POS channel provides opportunity for the persons with minimum qualification like tenth passed to work and earn in their convenient times as full time or part time job by selling insurance policies. Such persons can choose to become full time trained agent or a part-time agent. By registering with any insurance company in India one can get an employment opportunity to work and earn from anywhere. Now-a-days, many insurance companies have provided online portals for quick registration to enroll the person as POS. Also mobile applications are provided with training modules to complete the training requirement & to issue certifications. Thus, making employment seeking much easier.
Eligibility: 10th pass & age 18 years and above
Benefits of working as POS persons/POS Agent:
- Access to offer multiple products of Insurance companies.
- Access to online portals & mobile applications of Companies to issue policies on the spot with no any physical work involved.
- All small steps; right from filling in the basic information of the customer to the booking of the policy can be done online.
- Earning in form of commissions.
- Opportunity to work-from-home or take a Job as full time/part, work from anywhere, anytime.
Requirements to become a point of sale person/agent:
- A person involved in marketing the insurance products of insurance companies approved by the regulator is called as “Point of Sales Person”.
- The “Point of Sales Person” shall be at least 10th pass with 18 years of completed age.
- Point of Sales Person can be appointed by Insurance Company or Insurance Intermediary (Corporate agents & Insurance Brokers).
- A POS agent is someone who will be appointed by Insurance Company or Insurance broker to sell insurance policies anywhere, anytime & through online platforms for selling simple & basic insurance policies.
Training programmes & Certification:
- Initially it was required for the point of sales person to undergo online training conducted by National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), to appear in the online examination & get the passing certificate issued by NIELIT (examining body); however later the condition of training from and passing of NIELIT examination is being dispensed.
- General Insurance companies/Standalone health insurance companies and Insurance Intermediaries who propose to engage POS persons are given the responsibility to conduct in-house training of 15 hours for the candidates, conduct examination after training programme, issue the passing certificate & finally engage the successful candidates as POS person by entering into a written agreement, specifying the terms & conditions.
A new training programme & process was introduced to fast track the on-boarding of point of sales persons. Training and certification from NIELIT is no longer mandatory.
Follow these quick steps through the websites of insurance companies & become a POS agent
- Registration
- Upload Documents (KYC)
- Prepare for the examination by going through online modules syllabus for specified hours (15).
- Take up for the Test
- Get passing certificate
- Start booking policies
- Earn income in form of commission (15% of premium amount).
There is no restriction on multiple attempts if upto fails to make 36 percent required for passing. One can take repeated attempts to clear the exam.
Module Syllabus:
It includes, introduction to Insurance explaining concept & purpose, details of Indian insurance market, principles & practice of insurance, product knowledge (salient features of general & health insurance products identified for sell through POS channel) & miscellaneous section throwing light on grievance redressal mechanism, protection of policy holders interest regulations, AML/KYC norms etc.
KYC for upload:
- Aadhar Card & PAN Card
- Passing Certificate (10th or 12th mark sheet)
- Cancelled cheque/Pass book copy
- Passport size photo
Future of POS Agents in insurance sector
Recently, insurance regulator allowed all Micro Insurance products of Life, General and Health insurance for distribution through the POS channel. Micro insurance products are available with lower prices, provides increased choice to customers which can further help to increase insurance penetration. Thus, providing additional opportunity for POS agents.
Large groups of Indian population, especially those living in urban, semi-urban & rural areas are unaware of the insurance benefits making the penetration of insurance in India very low. These locations are the untapped market for the POS Agents. POS agents can reach to a wider segment of people across India & make good earnings.