In transition, possible offer from State Farm
I’m curious to hear from teachers who’ve made a career change or anyone in the insurance field.
Here’s the situation: I’ve been teaching for almost 10 years since graduating college. There are things I love about it, but each year the thought of going back gets harder, and the work-life balance during the school year is pretty rough. I’m looking for something with less stress that still provides a decent salary for my family.
I just had my first interview for a job at a local State Farm branch. There’s another round of interviews, but if things go well, I’m excited—but also a bit nervous. The idea of changing industries is thrilling, but I’m worried about making such a big move and regretting it.
The position is for a customer representative, where I’d be helping people with their policies. It’s basically a sales role too, and while it’s commission-based, it has potential for a much higher salary after a couple of years. I enjoy working with people but don’t have direct sales experience like this.
My wife’s seen how stressed I get about starting the school year, and she’s encouraging me to take the job if it’s reasonable because she hates seeing me this way. I could still renew my teaching license to keep it active, but I feel like leaving teaching might make it hard to go back.
I don’t know the exact base salary yet, but it’s probably around $45k plus benefits.
I’d love to hear from anyone who’s gone through something similar! Thanks!
I regret to inform you that insurance customer service is also subpar. Dealing with grown individuals who behave like children and have absolutely no common sense is the issue. You’ll be perplexed as to how they lived to reach this age. You’ll discover that when your workweek starts, your stress level remains unchanged.
You’re about to step into a world where you’ll constantly stress about hitting your numbers, and this pressure will last for years, always with the fear of losing your job hanging over you. Your value will be judged solely on how much business you bring inthis month, not what you did last month. They’re hiring you for your current connections—how long before you’ve tapped out that network? Do you enjoy spending hours on the phone, only to be told to get lost? Friends will turn into potential clients. New people you meet won’t be new friends, just more potential clients. Really think about whether your personality fits this environment. The promise of making lots of money is like a high school athlete hoping to go pro—it’s a long shot. Anytime someone talks about how much money you could make, consider it a major red flag.
In actuality, this is a typical transition. In my opinion, if you’re a hard worker who excels in sales, your foundation should represent your desire for commission while still allowing you to concentrate on your work.
In case it matters to you, let me just let you know that agents are independent company owners who only offer State Farm products. Thus, you are employed by the agent’s business organization and not State Farm directly.
Yes, I am conscious of this. To the best of my knowledge, the Agent also decides on things like pay and perks. Keeping an eye out for warning signs during my next interview.
Once a teacher, I became an agent. You might adore it. It’s possible that you detest it. Insurance is a company where, similar to the industry you’re leaving, a lot of reluctant people education is required.
My work focuses only and in-depthly on a certain segment of the population. You should receive excellent training and direction from your agent so that you can perform your job.
I adore insurance. Adults are being helped by it.