What is the day-to-day work of a Social Security Administrator?

Social insurance clerks or social insurance assistants are responsible for the day-to-day administrative processing of inquiries and claims in a social insurance institution, health insurance fund or insurance company. They obtain information, provide initial information in writing or by telephone to insurance companies and institutions such as insured persons or employees and finally calculate the amount of the claim.

They monitor the monthly transfer of pensions or insurance benefits and book all incoming and outgoing payments. In HR departments, social security administrators handle all administrative work relating to new employees and departures, cases of illness and absences due to illness or accidents. They calculate social benefits, alimony, withholding tax deductions and monitor the correct monthly payment and transfer.

(Please note: The distribution/weighting/frequency of tasks may vary slightly depending on the job profile and function as well as the company (size, industry, etc.))

Target group and skills: Who is continuing education, further training as a social insurance clerk suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The training/continuing education, further training as a social insurance administrator with edupool certificate is aimed at the following target groups.

• Employees of social insurance companies, HR departments, public administrations, health insurance companies or pension funds who want to deepen their specialist knowledge
• People who are confronted with social security issues in their professional activities
• Professionals who are switching to the field of social insurance and would like to acquire basic knowledge beforehand
• Persons preparing for the continuing education, Higher Education in Social Insurance with Federal Diploma of Higher Education

Social Security Administrators should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Independent, reliable way of working
• Quick comprehension
• Pleasant manners and enjoy dealing with people
• Confident appearance and good social skills
• Planning ability and adherence to deadlines, commercial skills
• Organizational talent
• Service and customer orientation

Requirements for admission to continuing education, further training:

In order to start training as a social insurance clerk with an edupool certificate, you must generally meet the following requirements when you start the course:

• Good written and spoken German (level C1)
• Basic arithmetic operations and proportional arithmetic (rule of three)
• In addition, for admission to the final examination: regular class attendance of at least 80%.

Recommendation:

• Commercial school diploma edupool.ch or completion of vocational education and training (VET) or equivalent qualification.
• First practical experience in the field of social insurance
• Two years of general professional experience

Subject matter and content of continuing education, further training

Schools that offer the certificate course for social insurance clerks as preparation for the edupool certificate examination are based on the subjects/learning content specified by the responsible body, which are then also tested in the examination. These are set out in the official course description. These are the following topics:

• Basics of social security and social assistance(including historical, structural and legal contexts, social welfare, statistics and key figures, current trends)
• 1st pillar (AHVG/IVG/ELG) and additional EOG (MSE/VSE), FamZG(e.g. describing the responsible bodies for social insurance, explaining the billing procedure (AHV), preparing contribution statements, specifying the duration of benefits)
• 2nd pillar (BVG/UVG) and additionally KVG/AVIG/daily sickness benefits insurance (VVG)(e.g. describing the responsible bodies for BV, UV, KV, ALV and VVG, defining compulsorily insured persons, preparing contribution statements, explaining regional premium differences, describing benefits in kind, calculating cost sharing)
• Labor law and salaries(e.g. explanation of the legal basis, determination of continued salary payments, establishment and termination of the employment relationship, paraphrasing information obligations, determining vacation entitlement and vacation compensation, preparing pay slips)

Costs and financing of continuing education, further training

The costs vary depending on the school and the program. In general, the following costs must be expected for the 2-semester, part-time continuing education, further training in real estate:

• Course fees:Between CHF 2'900.- and CHF 4'300.-
  Note: Members of thecommercial associationcan benefit from a discount of up to 10%.
• Fee edupool diploma: The examination fee is charged directly by edupool.ch and currently amounts to CHF 650 (as of March 2023)
• Some providers requireExtra costsfor
  • Enrollment
  • Teaching aids
  • Training documents
  • Internal examinations and examination training
  • Simulation test

It is best to contact the provider of your choice directly regarding the possible extra costs.

* Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for Federal Professional Examinations have been financially supported by the federal government. Depending on this, the edupool social insurance clerk course is accepted as a preparatory course for the Federal Professional Examination. This means that if, after completing the edupool certificate, you go on to obtain the Federal Diploma of Higher Education for Social Insurance Specialists within seven years and have not yet received any cantonal contributions for your social insurance clerk edupool continuing education, further training, 50% of the course costs paid (max. CHF 9,500) will be reimbursed by the federal government.Herefind out more.

Duration of study, training options, number of lessons and learning effort

• The continuing education, further training for social insurance clerks edupool has a modular structure, is designed to be taken part-time and lasts 2 semesters (depending on the provider and offer).
• The continuing education, social insurance clerk edupool comprises between 120 and 154 lessons.
• Various time options are offered for attending the lessons or learning sessions. For example, twice or once in the evening per week and/or on Saturdays every week.
• Many schools offer a mix of face-to-face and online courses (online, hybrid teaching, blended learning) as well as self-study. You can therefore choose the format that allows you to combine continuing education, further training with family, work and leisure in the best possible way.
• Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of continuing education, further training, you can apply and deepen your knowledge immediately in practice. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons". This gives you the opportunity to gain an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. Important aspects on the way to a successful graduation. It is best to contact the school of your choice directly for a taster lesson.

Degree, diploma and title

Towards the end of the "edupool social insurance clerk" course, many schools hold internal (simulation) examinations. This prepares you optimally for the edupool final examination. After successfully completing the internal exam, you will receive a so-called "school certificate".

The diploma examination for the edupool diploma and corrections are organized and carried out centrally by edupool.ch. If the school of your choice is one of the edupool-accredited schools, the edupool examination is usually carried out there on site.

Diploma and title

Successful graduates receive the edupool.ch diploma, which is recognized throughout Switzerland and co-signed by the Swiss Commercial Association: "edupool.ch Social Insurance Administrator".

Good to know: What is edupool.ch?

Edupool was founded in 2001. It is the quality label of the commercial association. It has developed into the most important Swiss examination organization in non-formal continuing education, further training in commerce.

In addition to the commercial association, edupool.ch is also backed by the accredited partner schools. Also central to edupool: the close cooperation with renowned industry and professional associations, which also co-sign the edupool certificates and diplomas.

This close cooperation and signature of the industry and professional associations guarantees a high practical relevance of the courses, as well as topicality of the content and underlines the credibility and quality of the edupool degrees.

The final examinations for the edupool certificates are organized centrally by edupool and corrected according to uniform guidelines.