Opportunities at Work

New York State Department of Civil Service announces Continuous Recruitment Examination Open to All Qualified Individuals

Insurance Examiner Trainee 1/2

Applications Accepted
Continuously
Tests To Be Held
Periodically

 

Examination Number and Title
Salary Grade
20-818
 Insurance Examiner Trainee 1
Equated to G-14
Insurance Examiner Trainee 2
Equated to G-16

 
Upstate Positions
Downstate Positions*
Beginning Salary
Beginning Salary
Trainee 1
$41,170
$45,573
Trainee 2
$45,940
$50,464

NO APPLICATION PROCESSING FEE REQUIRED

* Indicates positions in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties. Salaries include an additional annual downstate adjustment of $3,026, and a trainee geographical pay differential of $1,377 for Trainee 1, and $1,498 for Trainee 2.

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Minimum Qualifications

Appointment to Insurance Examiner Trainee 1 requires a bachelor's degree or higher including or supplemented by 24 undergraduate and/or graduate semester credit hours in accounting and/or auditing. The scope of the 24 credit hours must be solely accounting and/or auditing. Certain courses such as business law and accounting information systems, although taken as a part of an accounting curriculum, cannot be counted toward the required 24 credit hours.

Appointment to Insurance Examiner Trainee 2 requires the same educational background as noted for Insurance Examiner Trainee 1 AND one year of post degree experience in a professional position in claims, underwriting, ratemaking, or accounting/auditing with an insurance company; or as an insurance adjuster, agent and/or broker; or as an auditor with a CPA firm with verifiable experience in auditing insurance companies; or in a professional regulatory position with a government insurance department/agency.

No substitutions for these educational or work experience requirements are permitted. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university, or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree(s) and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency and a course-by-course evaluation. You can contact the NYS Insurance Department at (212) 709-5448 for a list of acceptable companies that provide this service. You can also write to the Examination Information Desk of the Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies. You must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notes

  1. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
  2. Documentation must be provided to verify comparability of experience obtained outside of the United States.

The Positions

These positions are in the New York State Department of Financial Services in various locations throughout the state. The majority of the positions are located in Albany and New York City.

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Duties

These positions require excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively perform the duties. As an Insurance Examiner Trainee 1 or Insurance Examiner Trainee 2, you would be assigned to a field or office position. In the field, you would be part of a team assigned to perform bank reconciliations, test unearned premium reserves, examine stocks and bonds, and review other facets of insurance operations to determine their financial condition and treatment of policy holders. Field positions do require travel. If assigned to the office, you would assist in the review of annual statements, the investigation of violations and/or complaints against licensees, and the examination and review of underwriting and rating practices.

Extensive travel may be required, including overnight travel. Appointees must possess a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State or otherwise demonstrate their ability to meet the transportation needs of the job in carrying out their responsibilities in any location to which travel is required, including some locations not accessible by public transportation. Field work and travel expenses will be reimbursed on a fixed schedule.

The Traineeships

Appointments begin at either the Insurance Examiner Trainee 1 level and advance to Insurance Examiner Trainee 2 upon satisfactory completion of the first year of the two-year traineeship OR the Insurance Examiner Trainee 2 level, which requires a one-year traineeship. Advancement through the traineeship to the Insurance Examiner level requires successful completion of the Department of Financial Services' training program consisting of classroom instruction, seminars, workshops, relevant examinations, and one professional designation course. The probationary period is for the duration of the traineeship or one year, whichever is longer. Currently, the salary for Insurance Examiner, G-18, upstate is $51,268; downstate is $54,294.

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Subject of Examination

There will be no written test. If you meet the Minimum Qualifications your education and experience will be evaluated against the general background/critical activities of the position. Your score will be based on the following information you submit with your application:

A copy of your transcript and a copy of your score from the verbal portion of the SAT, ACT, GMAT, or GRE tests should be included with your application. It is essential that you describe your education and experience as completely as possible. Ambiguity, vagueness, or omissions will not be decided in your favor. All statements concerning education and experience are subject to verification. If references fail to respond or give contradictory information, you may be called upon to furnish written verification of the education and experience claimed.

The transcript must show your name, the name of the issuing school and full course names and grades obtained. Transcripts downloaded from college websites will not be accepted. Transcripts and other documentation submitted will not be returned.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

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How and Where to Apply

Download the application form NYS-APP-3 #20-818(pdf). Mail your completed application and supplement to:

New York State Department of Financial Services
Office of Human Resource Management
One State Street
New York, NY 10004

The NYS Department of Financial Services has an ongoing need for persons qualified for appointment to these positions and will accept applications at any time and will rate applications whenever additional eligibles are needed. It is anticipated that the ratings will be held on a periodic basis throughout the year. For the schedule and other information about this examination, write to the NYS Department of Financial Services at the address above or call (212) 709-5448.

Retest Policy

Qualified candidates may file as frequently as once a year, but a new application and all supplemental information and documentation are required each time.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 2]. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2]. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

New York State Residence Is Not Required For Most Positions

However, you must be eligible for employment in the United States.

Continuous Recruitment/Eligible Lists

Candidates who meet the qualification and pass this examination will have their names placed on the eligible list in the order of final scores, regardless of the date on which they filed or took the test. Generally, the names of qualified candidates will remain on the eligible list for one year. Appeal of ratings will not be allowed as the opportunity for retest exists. The Department of Civil Service reserves the right to terminate this special recruitment program.

S4 LSS-sac
Reissued: 7/12

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.