Employment Insurance underwriters held about 103,000 jobs in 1988. The following tabulation presents the percent distribution of wage and salary jobs by industry. Small numbers of underwriters worked for credit agencies and other financial institutions and in government. Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement For beginning underwriting jobs, many large insurance companies prefer college graduates who have a degree in career administration with an accounting background. However, a liberal arts degree in almost any field plus courses in career law and accounting provide a good general background.
Some small companies hire persons without a college degree for underwriter trainee positions.
In addition, some high school graduates who begin as underwriting clerks may be trained as underwriters after they demonstrate an aptitude for the work. Underwriter trainees begin by evaluating routine applications under the close supervision of an experienced risk appraiser. They study claim files to become familiar with factors associated with certain types of losses. As they develop the necessary judgement, they are assigned policy applications that are more complex and have a greater face value. These often require the use of computers for more efficient processing.