Top 5 reasons to get your FCIP
Are you a CIP grad looking to take your p&c knowledge to the next level?
Consider this: About 80 FCIP grads over the past three years were once in your shoes. They were CIP grads wondering whether to take the Insurance Institute’s Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) designation, the pinnacle of education in Canada’s p&c industry.
What made them go ahead and take the plunge?
FCIP grads have told us at least 100 individual reasons why they did it. That’s a pretty long list, so we’ve decided to condense it down into their Top 5 reasons to get your FCIP >
Posted by Insurance Institute of Canada on 7/6/2016
Reason #5
Online format means self-paced study, critical work-life balance
“For me, the FCIP’s online format works really well because of my unpredictable work and personal schedules,” says FCIP candidate Qui Trieu, manager of personal insurance at Perth Insurance (a wholly owned subsidiary of Economical Insurance). “I often found myself doing my readings and assignments at one o’ clock in the morning on weekends, which worked out perfectly. The online setting is really tailored towards people who have a lot going on in their lives.”
Reason #1
The FCIP is a valuable, enjoyable experience
“To have my FCIP means I have achieved,” says FCIP grad Christine Korth, accident benefits claims adjuster and examiner at The Co-operators. “I feel like I have overcome a lot of challenges, I’ve met a lot of really good people, I’ve had a lot of really great experiences and I feel I have a much better understanding of the business of insurance.”
Reason #2
You get strategic insights into the p&c insurance business that you won’t get anywhere else
“I get asked quite a bit by colleagues as to whether to take an MBA or the FCIP,” says FCIP grad Anna McCrindell, vice president of underwriting at Gore Mutual Insurance Company. “Having been through the FCIP, my recommendation, hands down, is the FCIP. You get the benefit of the business knowledge and, added to that, the specific insurance cases, examples and relevant information for our industry.”
Reason #3
Expand your professional network across the country
“Because of the nature of the questions you ask, people will notice you,” says FCIP grad Dana Al Nammari, a commercial underwriter based in Montreal. “Your network will start expanding. A larger network means that when you need a piece of information, and your direct circle doesn’t have it, you are able to go outside. The FCIP program gave me that.”
Reason #4
Your research directly benefits your company and your work
Several FCIP courses, including the program’s final Capstone course, include opportunities to research a current issue in property and casualty insurance. “My [capstone research] is really geared towards preparation and preventative measures that insurers need to do in these times of catastrophic events,” says Greg Crawford, casualty claims manager at Intact Insurance. “It has real-world implications. It has real-world suggestions and recommendations for insurers to deal with these cat events that are happening more frequently than we’ve ever seen before.”