Chartered Month Member Stories: Gaining Confidence Through the CILA Certificate

In the first of our Chartered Month member interviews, we speak to Chloe Best Cert-CILA, who has recently completed the CILA Certificate qualification. Chloe shares why she chose to start her CILA journey, how the learning has strengthened her understanding of insurance fundamentals, and the practical impact it has had on her role within the claims process. Chloe is also a member of CILA’s Future Focus committee.

Can you briefly describe your current role and how long you’ve worked in the profession?
I am an Adjusting Executive at Paradigm Consulting and have worked in the property insurance industry for 4 years. In my role, I support our Major Loss Adjuster with various tasks, maintain communication, and build rapport with policyholders, clients and various professionals involved in each claim.

What motivated you to start your CILA qualifications?
As a ‘newbie’ to the industry, I wanted a stronger understanding of the insurance fundamentals and to strengthen my technical knowledge. Studying with CILA felt like the best way to achieve that and grow my confidence in the role.

How has gaining this qualification impacted your confidence at work?
After completing Cert CILA I gained significant confidence in my decision making and claims handling. I find interpretating policy documents and validating claims much easier now I have a stronger understanding of the core elements of insurance policies.

How did gaining your Certificate qualification help you understand the profession and your role within it?
The content helped me understand the wider insurance market, the principles behind policy wordings, and the reasoning that supports everyday claims decisions. Understanding the case law and stories behind the principles helped me identify how my role has an impact on not just the policyholder journey, but the wider claims process. This made it easier to understand the responsibilities of different claims professionals, the expectations placed on adjusters, and the value of my own contribution within the team.

Can you give an example of how the knowledge you gained has helped you in day-to-day work?
When starting the CILA course, subjects such as underinsurance, contribution, and recovery prospects where daunting to me and I would often rely on the major loss adjuster to identify and address these issues. Following the completion of the chapters, I’ve gained a much clearer understanding of these areas and the processes involved. I now actively look for these issues myself, and I feel far more confident handling them.

What would you say to someone considering starting (or continuing) their CILA chartered journey?
For me personally, becoming Cert-CILA has not only increased my knowledge on the insurance industry as a whole but has given me the confidence to address issues, make accurate decisions and to communicate these with the policyholder or claims professional effectively. I feel I have taken strides in my career that would not have been possible without the knowledge and confidence I have gained from the process to becoming CILA qualified.

The course material is easy to read and there is so much support available when studying. Once you have achieved the qualification, you can also refer back to the course material which helps with ‘on the job’ learning. I would say to anyone, within any claims role, that starting your CILA journey will only be a benefit to you and your career.

The CILA Certificate is the first step on the route to achieving chartership with CILA, providing a strong foundation in insurance principles, ethics, and professional practice.

Join CILA today and start your professional qualifications journey.