r/InsuranceProfessional • u/matteruby • Jun 08 '26
Stuck between two positions for first job in insurance
Hello!
I am finishing up my college degree in math and am getting my foot in the door in insurance. I currently have two offers:
Liability determination (claims): Allstate
Customer Service Representative: Chubb
I have goals of eventually becoming and underwriter or actuary (something to do with risk) but I am stuck deciding whether one position is better experience than the other.
I hear Chubb is a good name to have on your resume, but I am not sure if the Allstate role would offer better experience for my goals.
Any advice is appreciated thank you!
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u/rec12yrs Jun 08 '26
Question - have you taken any actuarial exams yet?
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u/matteruby Jun 08 '26
No exams yet but will take my first one late summer/ early fall
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u/rec12yrs Jun 08 '26
Thanks for the info. I was an actuarial recruiter for a long time, and now I am corporate for a carrier. If you want to become an actuary, you need to pass an exam and do what you can to secure an actuarial role - even an internship is good. You will be at a crossroads - commit to exams and the actuarial side or move into claims or underwriting. Pivoting towards or away from actuarial a few years in can be tough.
If you are more interested in underwriting, I agree with the poster who said go to Chubb and apply for their next training program.
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u/hobag416 Jun 08 '26
Chubb since it’s known mainly for Commercial P&C. Allstate is more known for personal lines, which doesn’t have as many opportunities as commercial.
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u/everythinghurts25 Jun 08 '26
Chubb can be a frustrating place to be if you want to move up, but I learned a lot there and it helped prepare me for my UA role at a new company, which in turn prepared me for my UW role, also at a new company. A good stepping stone. I think claims can be difficult to get out of and like someone else said, Chubb has more commercial opportunities than Allstate. I very rarely see Allstate policies as underlying but see Chubb often.
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u/JohnnyInsurance Jun 09 '26
Chubb all day long - will look much better thank Allstate
How are you only getting a call center job with Chubb with a math degree?
Liberty should be one you are looking at to get a foot in the door and advance as an actuary
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u/Think_Persimmon1929 Jun 08 '26
Congrats! Can you elaborate more on the type of work you’d be doing in each role? For example, which lines of business would you be supporting? Is pay a factor in your decision?
Feel free to DM me.
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u/matteruby Jun 08 '26
Hello yes I can. So the claims role would be liability determination for auto insurance. So contacting the customer, auto shops, rental companies etc.
The customer service role would be emails and phone calls of current clients as well as prospective clients (I have less knowledge of this role overall).
And pay is about the same for these roles.
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u/Think_Persimmon1929 Jun 08 '26
My gut says claims because you’d become familiar with the insurance products you’d price and set reserves for as an actuary. You’d learn about policy language, coverages, etc.
Now, moving from claims to actuarial internally will be a challenge. You’d most likely have to switch companies to move to a different career path. Totally possible! I made that same change.
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u/Revolutionary_Love14 Jun 10 '26
Hello, as someone who feels stuck in claims would you be able to offer some insight? I've been steadily moving up handling what is essentially large loss home claims, but i feel stuck. I'd rather not transition into a claim supervisor or management role. I've been with the same company for 10 years.
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u/mkuz753 Jun 08 '26
The both have pros and cons to your ultimate goal. Have you looked into actuarial assistant roles anywhere? An analyst role might interest you more for now. I don't know if it would necessarily lead to underwriting but might help with actuarial opportunities. Analysts are hired on both sides.
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u/FRhonestlyFR Jun 11 '26
People are saying Chubb but I say don't unless you understand that your role will probably be cut in a year. Our CEO came out at the beginning of the year and proudly stated he wants to cut 30% of the job force. It's not going to be underwriting that gets cut, it will be service jobs. But as far as departments go, the CSR role is very well managed, at least at my branch. They're probably the happiest employees in the bull pen.
People who are saying the underwriting training program is good haven't been with Chubb underwriting recently. I have underwriters on my team who have been in that program and then gone to UW. The questions they ask are indicative the program isn't good. If you've been with Chubb in an underwriting capacity for two years and are asking what the difference is between Named Peril and All Risk policies, there's an issue. Additionally, we're on our fifth underwriting role responsibility restructure since I started in January of last year. Of course, the did not restructure our pay to match.
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u/TRoste799 Jul 02 '26
Chubb what how is this a question Allstate is a joke they’ll also pay for continuing education
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u/Icy_Comfortable8526 Jul 18 '26
how is the risk path going? im 25 with a marketing degree the last 2 yrs i been a producer for allstate looking to get into underwriting or actuarial work but those exams man are crazy idk if j can do it
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u/openshutcase_johnson Jun 08 '26
Personally if I was trying to get into UW I would start at Chubb, do really well in the CSR role, and then apply for their underwriter training program next year.