Surrey Campus
Auto Body Collision Estimator
A great career in Collision Estimating has endless growth opportunities – and you don’t need a university degree
Following is a review of the entry level collision estimating positions you can expect to hold after graduation and where your career could lead in just a few years.
Collision Estimating Employment opportunities
- New Car Dealers
- Pre-owned car dealerships
- Retail automotive repair facilities
- Automotive collision repair facilities
- Insurance companies
- Contract your services and enjoy the freedom of working for yourself
Entry-level collision estimating jobs
- Collision Estimator
- Insurance Company Estimator
- Independent Estimator
- Heavy Duty Estimator
- Possible occupational advancements
- Insurance Adjustor
- Fleet Rental Specialist
- Assistant Manager
- Body Shop Manager or Owner
- Fixed Operations Manager
Typical job description for a Collision Estimator
- Inspects vehicles to determine the amount of structural, body, mechanical or interior damage using mechanical testing devices, questioning customers about the vehicle or by visual inspection
- Calculates cost of labor and parts to fix or replace each affected item and estimate the salvage value of the total vehicle loss
- Analyzes repair cost estimates
- Consults with the collision repair manager or foreman
- Reviews cost effectiveness of repair versus replacement of parts
- Determines fees associated with repainting
- Fills out insurance claim forms to indicate repair or replacement cost estimates and recommendations
- Determines feasibility of repair versus pre-accident market value
- Prepares work orders
Admissions Requirements:
The minimum entrance requirements are 19 years of age prior to the start of the study and / or graduation from Grade 12 (or equivalent)
Language Proficiency Requirements
- Prior to acceptance, applicants must meet one of the following:
- Completion of 2 years of secondary education (including English 10 and 11, min. grade ‘C’) from a country where English is a principal language
- Completion of 2 years of full-time post-secondary education at an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction
- Completion of a recognized language pathway program (Languages Canada-accredited) with required level/grade
- Submission of verified test results (must be dated within 2 years):
- Provide verified results for one of the English language proficiency tests listed below:
Test results must be dated no more than two years before the start date of the program.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic: overall score of 5.5 or higher.
- Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Test: overall score of 40 or higher
- Duolingo English Test: overall score of 95 or higher
Mature student applicants:
- Applicant is 19 years or older at the start of the program and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who cannot access is their educational records or provide sufficient evidence of secondary or post-secondary education as outlined above:
- applicant provides attestation that they have completed at least three years of full-time instruction in English in a country where the English is one of the principal languages, and
- Applicant completes an Accuplacer English Assessment (Next Generation: Reading, Writing and WritePlacer) and achieves the following minimum scores:
- Reading: 235
- Writing: 235
- WritePlacer: 4
Test Minimum Score Required
- IELTS (Academic) Overall band score of 5.5
- TOEFL iBT Overall score of 46
- CAEL Overall score of 40
- Duolingo English Test (DET) Overall score of 95
- PTE Academic Overall score of 43
- Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) Min. score of 160 or Grade “C”
- Cambridge Linguaskill Overall B2 level
- LanguageCert Int’l ESOL B2 level (Written and Spoken)
- Michigan English Test (MET) Overall B2 level
- iTEP Academic Overall score of 3.5
- EIKEN Min. placement: Grade Pre-1
*This program has been approved by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIRU) of Ministry of Advanced Education.
https://www.privatetraininginstitutions.gov.bc.ca/
Learn more about Collision Estimating opportunities by following the links below:
- Career Outlook, featured on our Car Estimator page
- Salary & benefits, featured on our Auto Estimating page
- The Opportunity, featured on our Collision Estimating page
- The Course Outline, featured on our Auto Estimator page
