Insurance Work for Women

From Woman’s Weekly, 12th January 1918.

Insurance Work for Women.

It is always nice to be a pioneer, and girls have so many opportunities in these days to be first in the field.

Insurance work—outdoor — is quite a new occupation for girls.  Hitherto they have contented themselves with office work, and left the men to reap the outdoor harvest, because comparatively few women take out insurance.

For the future, such a large number of women will have to work, not only to keep themselves, but to at least partially keep their families, that it will become absolutely necessary to insure their lives and provide for their old age.

The woman who pays in a small sum yearly can guarantee a definite sum as an income when she reaches a specified age; it may be quite small, but it will be certain, or she can look forward to obtaining a lump sum.

If a girl becomes an insurance agent, she will always work for one insurance society.  She can, if she chooses, include fire insurance, but it will be life insurance that will be the chief work.

As a rule, the payment is by commission, and the start off is difficult; but once a start is made, there is no reason why a girl should not make as much money as a man.  The insurance society she works for will give her all the information necessary for the work, papers and so forth.

It is work that can be started while at one's ordinary occupation, and then, when a little success has been gained, a courageous girl would do well to devote her whole time to it.

THE NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS.
No one under about twenty-four should take up the work, and the one thing that is absolutely necessary is that she should be a good talker.

The suitable girl is one who is rather strong-minded, and, as the Irish say, "has a way with her."  The timid, gentle, yielding girl would be useless. Moreover, she must make up her mind that she is going to succeed, and not be disheartened by one or two black days.  She must cheer herself up thinking how much money the men-folk make over similar work.

She must dress nicely, but in rather a practical fashion, so as not to appear too much of a butterfly, or other women will not take her advice.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IS USEFUL. 
A girl who has been in business will succeed best, and she will know how to get in touch with other girls, as that is the difficult point.

The men do so much insurance work in the city, in office hours and at lunch time; why should not women too?  The girl who has worked in an office can speak feelingly to other girls, how by saving a little every year they can eventually look forward to starting some small business of their own later on.  If they have not the prospect of a happy marriage to look forward to, then at least they can look forward to independence.

CANVASSING AMONG THE WORKERS.
The women to be canvassed are practically any age; of course, the younger the better, for their own sake.  A girl with plenty of friends working with large firms should do well, and if she knows any forewomen, better still.

The work will mean, in many cases, calling at a girl's house, but on becoming an insurance agent one must be prepared for this.  It may often mean evening work, as sometimes that will be found the only way of doing business.

No girl absolutely dependent on her earnings should give up her present work until she has worked up a connection; but one who lives at home, and can do without her weekly salary at first, could, of course, do so.  But it is almost always best to start while at work, as success will not be likely to come at first, and if the usual work is going on, a girl is less likely to give up her new venture and feel down-hearted over it.

AFTER THE WAR. 
When the war is over a very great number of women will be thrown out of work, and it is anticipated the market for clerical workers will be very over-stocked.  The girl who has been slowly but surely building up a connection in insurance work in war time will then be quite ready to devote herself whole heartedly to the work.

Once a girl has proved to her insurance society that she is worth it, she could obtain a salary and still get commission; but, of course, the latter would be lower than when on no salary.  The usual commission is about 2 per cent.  A man who is an insurance agent, and devotes his whole time to the work, never expects to make less than £200 a year, while some make big incomes.

A girl who can work up a connection among women who are earning good salaries will do very well, for these women can take out much larger policies, which mean larger commissions for the agent; so that the work depends on a number of small ones or a less number but with higher figures.