- Things to know about your continuing education
The Florida Surplus Lines Insurance Study Manual is the official manual for the Florida surplus lines licensing exam. This manual covers such topics as the history of surplus lines, the regulatory process and includes more than 100 review questions to help readers prepare for the exam.
The Surplus Lines Study Manual is now available in eBook format on Amazon, Google Play and Apple iTunes. The price starts at $7.99.
Please visit http://www.fslso.com/publications/manuals/FSLI.Manual.aspx to obtain more information regarding the eBook versions of the Florida surplus lines study manual.
If you have ever felt confused about what it means to be continuing education (CE) compliant, you are not alone. That's why we are continuously finding and implementing ways to help you with this. To be CE compliant requires more than just taking CE courses. Below are a few often overlooked suggestions for remaining CE compliant.
We wish you success in completing your hours to remain knowledgeable in an ever-changing insurance market. And remember, your CE compliance date is your DUE date, not your DO date.
Looking for continuing education (CE) courses to be sure you get all your hours completed? Our online course search can easily help you by listing those courses approved by the Department.
Because many factors may affect your continuing education requirement (e.g. licenses held, number of years licensed, etc.), we encourage you to periodically check your MyProfile account to determine your individual continuing education compliance requirements and status. You will also be able to find more approved CE courses after logging in to your MyProfile account versus the public search option, which limits the results to the first 100 course offerings.
If you are an approved provider, the Department issued you a "jersey number" also known as your approved provider ID number. However, do you know the rules that you should follow to stay in the game and out of the penalty box?
Since the department must maintain the standard of approving fit and trustworthy providers you may find yourself sidelined by not following the requirements of the Florida Insurance Code. Recently we've had to make some calls due to violations of our code. Below are some of the areas:
Are you playing by the rules?
These are only a few. For more details read the continuing education rule found in chapter 69B-228, F.A.C., and the pre-licensing rule found in chapter 69B-227, F.A.C.
You play a critical part in educating our licensees on the ethical and legal requirements of their licenses. Setting a good example of compliance will keep you in the game and out of the penalty box.
Any questions regarding this may be sent to Education@MyFloridaCFO.com.
Qualified instructors are a critical component of the continuing education program for insurance representatives in the state of Florida. Classroom-based courses can only be taught by approved instructors. With nearly 20,000 total courses offered in a calendar year, that makes for a high demand of approved instructors.
To be an effective continuing education instructor you must possess a good balance of knowledge and experience in the subject matter, along with skills in instructing adult professionals. Additionally, you must prove to be fit and trustworthy to hold this position pursuant to the Florida Insurance Code.
For anyone who may have considered becoming an approved instructor, below are the nuts and bolts of the application process.
How to Apply:
Instructor applications must be submitted electronically on Form DFS-H2-398 via the Department's Education Database at https://dice.fldfs.com/public/pb_index.aspx. Instructors may apply independently or under an approved provider.
How to Qualify:
In order to qualify, an applicant must meet any two of the following six criteria:
The applicant must state which qualifications he/she meets on the application and provide a resume with details supporting their qualifications.
Tips on writing an effective resume for an instructor application:
A Few Reminders:
The Education Unit regularly holds a conference call available to all approved education providers every other month. This 30-minute call is usually conducted on the second Tuesday of odd numbered months and includes 10 minutes of Q&A from the providers.
We have received numerous positive comments regarding the call. Some of the benefits of participating in a conference call are:
Our next conference call, scheduled for Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 2:00pm EST, marks the beginning of our third year of holding them. Our topics of discussion will include: updates on crediting completed 5-hour Law and Ethics update courses to CE records; approval and crediting of specific courses including Senior Suitability, Premium Discount and Wind Mitigation, Ethics, and Adjuster Law and Policy; exam content outline changes; revised study manuals; and other topics of interest.
Recorded copies or prior conference calls along with Q&A may be found on our website under the Providers of CE & Pre-licensing section.
We hope to have you join us in the future. Education providers may find more information about the conference call by logging in to your MyProfile account and viewing the notifications in your In-box.