Hello all, first post but I'll try to keep the intro brief. I need advice!
4 months ago, I moved from Pennsylvania to California to be closer to my fiancé (in law school). I graduated in May 2015 with a philosophy degree unsure of what I'd do. I took an internship position with a State Farm Agent for $10/hr. When I couldn't find any other work, I decided to get my P&C license and start working for the agent full-time. I paid the entirety of my fees and educational cost, essentially spending everything I made during my internship. I was promised an eventual base pay of $30k with 4% commission on P&C as long as I hit my goals.
My pay is currently tiered, so I'm making $12/hr now with a goal of 20 raw new auto to start.
However, I'm not really sure about working for this agent anymore. A coworker of mine started in August is is already planning to leave. He had informed me that the agent was not paying him any commission unless he hit his goal of 35 raw new auto a month. We were led to believe we'd be earning commission on every policy sold regardless of goals, but now that we know there's no difference between selling 1 and 34, the motivation has gone downhill, especially for my coworker.
I personally feel unsettled about working on this pay structure and at such high goals, but I'm not sure what to do. I just started in the industry so I'm not sure if this is an accepted practice or if there's something fishy going on. There have been at least 2 (soon to be 3) other sales reps that have jumped ship and the office has only been open since January. I feel that should have been a red flag for me.
I'll be moving to another city a year from now once I'm married, so I've been thinking it may be worth looking at State Farm offices up there, but I'm worried it'd look bad to bail from my first agency after only 3-4 months. I don't really know anyone else in the industry so I wasn't sure who to talk to. I figured here would be my best bet.
4 months ago, I moved from Pennsylvania to California to be closer to my fiancé (in law school). I graduated in May 2015 with a philosophy degree unsure of what I'd do. I took an internship position with a State Farm Agent for $10/hr. When I couldn't find any other work, I decided to get my P&C license and start working for the agent full-time. I paid the entirety of my fees and educational cost, essentially spending everything I made during my internship. I was promised an eventual base pay of $30k with 4% commission on P&C as long as I hit my goals.
My pay is currently tiered, so I'm making $12/hr now with a goal of 20 raw new auto to start.
However, I'm not really sure about working for this agent anymore. A coworker of mine started in August is is already planning to leave. He had informed me that the agent was not paying him any commission unless he hit his goal of 35 raw new auto a month. We were led to believe we'd be earning commission on every policy sold regardless of goals, but now that we know there's no difference between selling 1 and 34, the motivation has gone downhill, especially for my coworker.
I personally feel unsettled about working on this pay structure and at such high goals, but I'm not sure what to do. I just started in the industry so I'm not sure if this is an accepted practice or if there's something fishy going on. There have been at least 2 (soon to be 3) other sales reps that have jumped ship and the office has only been open since January. I feel that should have been a red flag for me.
I'll be moving to another city a year from now once I'm married, so I've been thinking it may be worth looking at State Farm offices up there, but I'm worried it'd look bad to bail from my first agency after only 3-4 months. I don't really know anyone else in the industry so I wasn't sure who to talk to. I figured here would be my best bet.
