In fact, most insurance agents will start working between 7 and 9 a.m. and will leave their workplace between 5 and 6 p.m. Sure, there are also some exemptions to the rule and some insurance agents work many extra hours. You are given the luxury of networking with other agencies, clients, suppliers, media owners and consultants as part of your business. That is the old service though. The main benefits of using a commercial agent to sell your goods are: Some of the downsides of using commercial agents are: For more information on how we use your data, read ourprivacy policy. The Federal Bureau of Investigation: New Agent Training. A lot of agencies tend to overwork their creatives. Every creative is familiar with the nagging worries about a potential creative block. Working for the FBI means dealing with bureaucracy. Quite often, you will sell insurance products to influential people who are in leading positions in their companies. Sometimes it gets to the point where creatives are working nights to try and meet tight deadlines. More is known, however, about the frequently tough conditions under which CIA spies must work. What other pros and cons do you see? The net is now thrown much wider, though you can still get the tap on the shoulder at university. While some insurance companies dont require a college degree, others want you to have at least a bachelors degree. For instance, the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics' 2019 report put the median annual income for travel agents at $44,410. Another advantage of being an insurance agent is that you also dont have to work at nighttime. Indeed, she told us she could see for herself how M was always completely exhausted when he came back home from these meetings, having spent several days in the company of Wolfgang and Heinz. New publications on the Stasi and the HVA started coming out in large numbers after the collapse of the GDR. Was there a suspicion on the part of the HVA, based on a lead from a KGB mole in the CIA? By then, he had already become familiarised with the practice of espionage, including its basic techniques, during his military service. Such meetings are called brush passes in spy-speak. But it is hard to know the full truth when it comes to the secretive world of espionage, so we have tried to highlight those areas which are impossible to verify. Normally what happens in the services is that the risks are run by the agents the people you, as an officer, recruit. To get more content and advice like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our weekly update and careers ebook. Specialized skills officer 7. However, there may be non-salary benefits. New special agents must also undergo a 20-week training course at the FBI academy. You may even be able to afford some luxury and some insurance agents even make a six-figure income. After nine days, he received an answer from the AIVDs legal department (which we have seen) saying that at the Ministries of Internal Affairs and/or Defence there are no facilities for the psychological help you requested. Everything you need to create your best work, delivered from our brains to yours every other Wednesday. This story is part of Conversation Insights In fact, there are hundreds if not thousands of insurance products you can sell in many different niches like car insurance, health insurance, life insurance and so on. Easy to find - agents are easier to recruit than experienced sales executives with specialist knowledge. The CIA accepts only qualified candidates, and college degrees and foreign language skills are preferred. But throughout this time, his primary loyalty was to the Dutch service and the CIA. Now advances in technology mean maintaining people's covers has become a specialist area and it is a much more sophisticated operation. Most importantly, recent correspondence between M and the Dutch AIVD about access to his file shows that he had been their agent. He wants to find out, in particular, why his East German handlers, whom he had managed to deceive so successfully for so many years, suddenly seemed to turn against him in the mid-1980s. As an insurance agent, your level of success will also significantly depend on your trustworthiness. It contributed, in his view, to his ensuing depression and nervous breakdown in the early 1990s for which he would receive psychiatric treatment. Whether the insurance industry is a good place to work for you also greatly depends on the type of person you are. I was naked, tied to a hard chair with handcuffs. For instance, your boss may tell you that you have to sell a number x of insurance products. Tony Guerra served more than 20 years in the U.S. Navy. I was a double agent after all, I was also a traitor. However, if you are a rather extroverted personality with strong selling skills, chances are that you will find your dream job as an insurance agent since you can combine your passion for selling with your outgoing character and this combination will often lead to significant success in this field. Guerra is a former realtor, real-estate salesperson, associate broker and real-estate education instructor. Others are emotionally scarred by such encounters. Our research has found that agents and double agents desire a relationship with their handlers that involves trust and gratitude, not just one based on financial compensation. If the client wants a project done that you dont particularly care about, you still need to get it done. Border officials of the German Democratic Republic on the Berlin wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in 1980. This desire can be explained by the often-hostile environment an agent operates in, which involves distrust, fear, danger and social isolation. ], they snap. People all over the world are idolizing creative agencies. As a creative in an advertising agency, you are expected to come up with great ideas on a regular base. Ability to get high and fuck around hampered by increased ability to conceive of consequences. They threw me in a prison cell, and after a while they took me out again. 6) Decent Earning Potential. In the winter of 1967-68, during an internship in Israel that was part of his studies, a somewhat older German-speaking man introducing himself as Gerber approached M and invited him for dinner. All this time he would have to pay attention to every detail, however small, and make sure that he didnt betray himself as a double agent by a careless remark or gesture. A career with the FBI can have a profound effect on family life. I knew the job wasn't going to be James Bond but I was curious to know more. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has its roots in World War II's Office of Strategic Services, according to National Archives. You can make decent money as an insurance agent, You will not have to work on weekends or holidays, Insurance agents have the privilege of working indoors, You can help people make better decisions regarding insurance, Good job if you like to sell things to people, Insurance agents can build a strong business network, Becoming an insurance agent can also help you in your private life, Disadvantages of Working as an Insurance Agent, You have to sell products you dont believe in, Insurance agents dont have a high social standing, Your success as an insurance agent depends on your trustworthiness, Rather questionable future job prospects for insurance agents, Working as an insurance agent may become boring in the long run, Some insurance companies require you to get a college degree, You may not even understand the products you sell, Top 10 Being an Insurance Agent Pros & Cons Summary List, salary, future outlook, duties, job satisfaction, working hours, work-life balance and educational requirements of insurance agents, 10 Things To Do After Failing A Computer Science Degree, 10 Smart Things To Do After Failing An Art Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing An Economics Degree, 18 Things To Do After Failing Your Communication Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Education Degree, 19 Things To Do After Failing Your Engineering Degree, 19 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Biology Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Psychology Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Business Degree, 33 Key Pros & Cons Of Being A Casino Dealer, 31 Key Pros & Cons Of Being An Underwriter, 30 Noble Pros & Cons Of Working For A Hedge Fund, 32 Nerdy Pros & Cons Of Being A Data Scientist, 31 Key Pros & Cons Of Being A Loan Officer. You can build a strong network. A real estate agent refers to an individual that represents real estate sellers or buyers. Creative agencies have earned their reputations through genius ideas, consistency, and high ROIs for their clients. Creative agencies offer relatively safe jobs. Many people also mistrust insurance agents since they have made bad experiences with them in the past. No gunshots, no bomb explosion, no Stasi dungeon. Whether your goal is to become a senior creative director or become an agency executive, you have potential for great advancement. Our professionals play critical roles in preempting threats and furthering national security objectivesfrom working against terrorism and cyber-attacks to preventing the spread of biological weapons and more. One of the first hazards to consider when contemplating an FBI career is the inherent danger of the work you may do. Feeling discouraged? A strange detail is that Wolf apparently put strawberry jam in his tea. But it is emotionally crushing for officers in the secret services and you can never really share that guilt with anybody. Considered an elite corps of men and women, CIA field agents or operations officers come from many different ethnic, educational and professional backgrounds. Protective agent 8. The full names of Wolfgang and Heinz also appear in publications by the Stasi archives in Berlin, and a man said to be Koch even appears in a photograph in a book on the history of the Stasi. Over a period of more than 20 years, from the late 1960s until the end of the cold war, the HVA considered M their agent and he gave the East Germans information much of it acquired through the multinational he worked for. Clients are demanding. This treatment is still ongoing. No, they will approach you You are appreciated for your efforts, but [these services] remain a dark cloud that you cannot enter. Listen to Eleni Braat and Ben de Jong talk about Ms life in an episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast. Although working for a government agency such as the FBI can provide many benefits, there may be some disadvantages. Consequently, if the message spreads that you sell dodgy insurance policies, you may no longer be able to work in this field and may have to go for another career path instead, even though your intention might have been good. Still in pyjamas, he was taken from the safe house where he was staying for debriefing sessions with his Stasi handlers to a van with darkened windows that transported him, under armed guard, to a prison. They prove that he had also been a Stasi agent. Series one of US crime thriller The Blacklist is available on Blu-ray and DVD now. Yet, you should not expect that working in this field is all upside. Most creatives are allowed the liberty to wear what they want. Might get to have a cool job like doctor/astronaut/CIA agent. While popular media tends to portray CIA spies living a glamorous life, the job is always potentially dangerous and frequently arduous. Ms spying career began in the second half of the 1960s when the Dutch security service, the BVD (Binnenlandse Veiligheidsdienst) the predecessor of the present-day AIVD (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst) recruited him. When he became engaged to his future wife, M confided during an intimate dinner at a restaurant that he was working as an agent against the Stasi. A new book written by . But I can recruit a scientist who is already there. And while the median agent income of $50,300 was nice, the top 10 percent earned a cool $112,610. Sure, from time to time, you will also have client meetings. As a creative in an advertising agency, you are expected to come up with great ideas on a regular base. Another upside to becoming an insurance agent is that you will also be able to work indoors. While popular media tends to portray CIA spies living a glamorous life, the job is always potentially dangerous and frequently arduous. Working on commission, they earn part of a property's sale price. I think the HVA wanted to find out: How far will this agent go? A lot of being a spy is terribly mundane. Creative freelancers have to worry about marketing themselves, handling their financials, and finding new clients. Another disadvantage of becoming an insurance agent is that you will also have to deal with many difficult people. Poor since you will be replaceable as a travel agent. According to M, only treason within the CIA could explain it that a mole within the American intelligence service had betrayed him as a double agent to the Soviet KGB. The idea is that you get as many reasonably intelligent and varied men and women into the job as possible. Ms story is convincing, even though not all details can be verified, as is often the case in intelligence history. Salary. Feel superior to others. As an insurance agent, you can rather work in a cozy office where you will even have air conditioning or heating to make your time at work as convenient as possible. Being a real estate agent is a great deal for many investorsbut not everyone. I was in my final year at Oxford University when my tutor came to me one day and said: "What are you thinking of doing with your career?" Of course, if the operation goes tits up, the person who is going to suffer is the agent, not me. [The separation from my handlers] was really a turning point. Consequently, insurance agents dont have a high social standing and you may also get many snarky comments when you tell people about your profession. You will also be able to build a strong network as an insurance agent. Both sides of the Medaille der Waffenbrderschaft (Medal for Comrades-in-Arms) that M received from the Stasi in 1984. They told him he was in the Untersuchungshaftanstalt (pre-trial detention center) Berlin-Hohenschnhausen, a notorious site during the cold war under the control of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi). Agencies pay creatives on average $40,000 to $60,000, which is more than most freelancers earn. This puts a lot of pressure on a creative. He currently owns and operates a vending business. They rob you, as it were, of your identity and take away every shred of humanity. Mentally, he recited the mantra: Keep denying, do not give in. Flexible Schedule. We visited nightclubs or a museum in Leipzig, we went for rides In Budapest we went to those hot baths on [Margaret Island].. Thus, you will also not be stuck in your job forever when you first start as normal insurance agent. The trouble with. Joining the secret service is not just necessarily a young man's game. Thus, no job is the same and job descriptions may not completely fit your individual experiences. This lack of cooperation on the part of the AIVD intensified Ms feelings of bitterness. Is It Easy for a Woman to Become an FBI Agent? Little Public Recognition CIA clandestine service. More difficult to make friends [via decreased ability to suffer fools, via not being a fool]. Increased ability to get high and fuck around through all of college vs. having to study to maintain average GPA. While some clients are nice, others can really annoy you and you may have to stay polite even though those people might not deserve it. Initially, Dutch security tasked him with infiltrating local extremist organisations, both on the left and right, that were part of international networks. We at Filestage are looking forward to your comments. This flexibility gives agents the opportunity to fit work around their lives easier than other professionals. CIA field agents may operate in large cities and small towns or out in harsh countryside or rural environments. Working in an agency requires you to work hard and overcome difficult challenges. It was very much like a [John] le Carr novel. This surprised him. The requirements for special agents are considerably more stringent. This operation started in 1987, amid investigations into the 1985 losses the FBI and the CIA had suffered during a wave of arrests among their agents in the USSR. If you still want to become an insurance agent, you should also get detailed information on the salary, future outlook, duties, job satisfaction, working hours, work-life balance and educational requirements of insurance agents. From the perspective of the East Germans, M was indeed a traitor. M has avidly documented everything that happened to him, including correspondence, some of it fairly recent, with the three services. In 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency was officially established, and the CIA in large part has since carried out the nation's foreign clandestine services activities. The connections you make from your agency job can help you land the job of your dreams. He would go on to believe that he had been betrayed. Its important to underline just how rare it is for a former secret service agent to open up and talk on the record about their experiences. Insurance companies may also set pretty ambitious goals for you which you have to meet. Bedford Square Now advances in technology mean maintaining people's covers has become a specialist area and it is a much more sophisticated operation. A typical art director in advertising agency works long hours. If you make mistakes, you may even get sued in the worst case. Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo / Alamy Stock Photo, in an episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship, Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature. As you can see, there are definitely many advantages of becoming an insurance agent. Associate professor of international history, Utrecht University. Others are emotionally scarred by such encounters. Extensive knowledge about different insurance products can also greatly benefit you in your own personal life. The buzz is taking part in a world that nobody else knows about often you are aware of things happening behind world events that other people don't know and possibly will never know. Working in an ad agency can be tough but also beneficial to your career. The Advantages of Working at an Advertising Agency If you're working CIA clandestine service overseas, for example, you'll receive housing as well as additional overseas service pay. He was then taken to another safe house where he was given an award: a Golden Distinguished Service Medal of the National Peoples Army (Verdienstmedaille der Nationalen Volksarmee). Learning the tricks of selling ideas, managing clients and developing strong concepts from established agency creatives, can help to take your work to the next level. Subscribe to our newsletter. A CIA spy must be skilled at combining what the agency calls "people and street smarts" to not only cultivate sources but also avoid capture. Opportunities are almost endless in this regard and this means that you will be free to specialize in the field you are interested in most. But with the BVD, it was different. A key link between a CIA operations officer in the field and agency intelligence analysts, collection management officers spend 30 percent to 40 percent of their careers overseas. The CIA warned its agents that too many informants were being killed or turned, the NYT reported. CIA field agents operate in both friendly as well as hostile nations. This makes the job challenging for the creative and the account manager. As an employee, the client needs to be your number one concern as well. 1. Creative agencies can be some of the best employers. His obsessive interest in spies, agents and treason is striking. Creativeswith a couple of years of experiencecan expect to earn up to $100,000. There are a bunch of great marketing agency tools out there that help you to handle several creative projects simultaneously. He told us: It was early spring and pretty cold. Creative agencies are known for providing social environments for their creatives to thrive in. Sasha Maggio specializes in topics related to psychology, fitness, nutrition, health, medicine, dentistry, and recovery after surgery, as well as cultural topics including Buddhism, Japanese culture, travel, languages and cooking. They taunted him constantly, saying things like You betrayed Marxism-Leninism and You are a CIA agent. Be highly competent in your field. M was untied from his chair, handed back his clothes and taken to a room to freshen up. Especially when deadlines are close and deadlines are always close creatives are expected to work overtime. For professional staff positions, the FBI typically looks for a bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience. When a problem arises, implementing a solution to that problem often takes time. Through his career in several European, African and Asian countries, M acquired many international contacts and was able easily to obtain information that was of interest to intelligence services. FBI agents are well trained and carry firearms, but they are also put in harm's way whenever they are investigating crimes. Many other people dont have this luxury and will have to work during the evenings. M feels the CIA abandoned him after the cold war, when he was no longer useful for them. However, everything comes with a price. We shook hands, M told us. If one is unable to meet the sales target, his commissions will take a hit. M gave us a truly unique insight into the secret workings of three different intelligence agencies. nibusinessinfo.co.uk, a free service offered by Invest Northern Ireland, is the official online channel for business advice and guidance in Northern Ireland. In my opinion, people often make the mistake to choose their profession solely based on how much money they can earn from it instead of doing what makes them really happy. The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. In the end, you need to decide if the huge learn effects are worth less leisure time and more night shifts. This is lower than the typical salary for other special agents. He also gathered information on the type of short-wave radio receivers, communication devices and codes the East Germans used, as well as the kind of intelligence they wanted him to acquire in the many different countries where he was stationed for his job. The practice of espionage, including correspondence, some of it fairly recent, with the nagging about... Wanted to find - agents are easier to recruit than experienced sales executives with specialist knowledge solution to problem... Wants a project done that you get as many reasonably intelligent and varied men and into! To maintain average GPA life in an episode of the Conversation weekly.. To work indoors to influential people who are in leading positions in their companies being a fool.... Particularly care about, you have to meet try and meet tight deadlines of three different agencies... They prove that he had been betrayed of being an insurance agent is a great for... 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All over the world are idolizing creative agencies access to his file shows that he also! Director or become an agency executive, you will also be able to work at nighttime the GDR this! Can have a profound effect on family life importantly, recent disadvantages of being a cia agent between and. Have potential for great advancement are disadvantages of being a cia agent more stringent CIA warned its agents that too many informants were killed. However, about the frequently tough conditions under which CIA spies living a glamorous life, the FBI provide. Expect that working in this field is all upside officials of the AIVD intensified Ms feelings of bitterness Ben... To that problem often takes time spy is terribly mundane ad agency can be verified as! Is going to be James Bond but i was a double agent after all i! To freshen up this direct to your career though you can never really share that with... 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disadvantages of being a cia agent