Internships and Hiring Resources
We often hear from IIANC members about the need for qualified help in their agencies. Combine that with the loss of the agency workforce as more Baby Boomers reach retirement age and there is a real concern among independent agencies about finding and
hiring staff. But, help may be closer than you think.
The future of the insurance industry in North Carolina is bright with the promising students enrolled in the Risk Management & Insurance (RMI) programs at Appalachian State
University, East Carolina University and UNC-Charlotte. These RMI programs produce qualified, knowledgeable graduates every year. So the real question is - how do we get them to enter the independent agency workforce?
This is where IIANC is helping! We’ve built strong partnerships with the RMI programs through scholarships, regularly speaking at RMI classes/programs, having students attend our conferences for networking with member agents, and more. We share job openings and internships with our member agencies with the RMI students. And resources like an internship guide and grants are available to help agencies host successful internships.
But, this is where we need your help! If your agency is willing to host an intern or has a full-time job opening suitable for an RMI graduate, let IIANC know! We will promote these opportunities to students. Help us, help you, recruit bright, talented students to careers in independent agencies!
Agency Internships
A great way to bring more young people into the independent insurance industry is to provide internship opportunities in your agency. Not only does it give your agency some additional help for a few months, but it promotes the awesome career advantages that working as an independent agent offers. It’s also a great opportunity to get these top-notch students “in the door” before someone else does and take a risk-free look at a potential future employee.
1. How do I get an intern in my agency?
Attend an RMI Career Fair and meet students at App State, ECU and/or UNCC!
If your agency is committed to providing an internship opportunity during the summer or coming school year, we invite you to reach out to the RMI programs at App State, ECU and UNCC. If you would like to meet students face to face and promote your agency's internship (and/or full-time job openings), the RMI Programs host Career Fairs each semester.
2. But what do I do with an intern all summer?
This guide walks you step by step through a 10 week summer internship so that you can provide a learning experience that is beneficial to both the student and your agency. The guide can be customized for your specific agency but it takes all of the guesswork out of what projects, responsibilities and training should be part of the internship. Included are sample interview forms and evaluations, orientation schedules, intern assignments and more.
IIABA's Invest Program also offers numerous FREE internship guides that are available to you on their website. Click here to access them.
3. How do I fund a paid internship?
Grants are available to help with the costs associated with a paid internship.
Thanks to funding from the IIANC Education Foundation, IIANC is offering a limited number of grants of up to $1,000 to assist IIANC member
agencies in offering paid internships this year. The deadline to apply for a grant is June 1 (funds are available on a first come, first served basis; IIANC reserves the right to stop accepting grant applications should funding run out.)
We also offer an additional internship opportunity
- our HBCU Diversity Internship Scholarship Grant. Also funded by the IIANC Education Foundation, this internship offers a limited number of grants of up to $2,000 for those agencies who hire an intern from a HBCU (Historically
Black College & University.) Funds are available on a first come, first served basis; IIANC reserves the right to stop accepting grant applications should funding run out.