For each licence year, or portion thereof:
- If you have an approved designation* you must have 4 qualified hours of continuing education; OR
- If you have been licensed as a general insurance agent or salesperson for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction, and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 6 qualified hours of continuing education; OR
- If you have not been licensed as a general insurance agent or salesperson agent for at least 5 of the last 7 years in a Canadian jurisdiction and you do not have an approved designation, you must have 8 qualified hours of continuing education.
*Approved Designations: CAIB, CIB, CIP (formerly AIIC), CCIB, FCIP, CRM. Designations from other countries will be considered where it is demonstrated to Council they are equivalent to one of the approved Canadian designations.
Content
For salespersons and agent level 2 licensees, the only qualifying insurance continuing education is technical material* directly related to:
- General insurance products.
- Compliance with insurance legislation and licensee requirements such as Council Rules, Council's Code of Conduct, the Insurance Act, and privacy legislation.
- Ethics.
- Errors and Omissions.
*For level 3 licensees, “technical material” is broadened to include courses relating to management, accounting, and human resources.
Council Rules Course
Effective March 1, 2019: All individuals (BC residents and non-residents) wanting to obtain an insurance licence in British Columbia are required, in accordance with Council Rule 2(14), to complete the Council Rules Course to qualify for a licence, except those that qualify under the Reactivation Provision in Council Rule 2(19).
Please note:
If you applied for a licence prior to March 1, 2019, and do not qualify under the Reactivation Provision, you must complete the course prior to June 1, 2020. For additional details view
Council Notice ICN 18-003.
See the full Council Rules Course requirements.
Structure
The education must take place in a structure dedicated to learning. Separate training meetings for the purposes of reviewing the details of a specific product line may qualify, but:
- Day-to-day business or professional reading does not qualify.
- Regular staff meetings that cover a myriad of topics do not qualify.
Time
One hour of instruction is equal to 1 hour of CE (Insurance Continuing Education) credit. Breaks are excluded, and you must attend the complete course or seminar. In addition:
- No course can be accredited for more than 8 hours.
- There is a daily maximum of 7 hours.
- Where a course involves an exam, you must successfully pass the exam.
Carry Forward
Excess credits cannot be carried over into the next annual licence period.