Montreal Campus

Auto Body Estimating

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.

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Description

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

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

*This program has been approved by the Private Training Instititutions Branch (PTIB) of Ministry of Advanced Education.

Why Choose ATC?

Here are 4 reasons to choose Automotive Training Centre

Smaller classes for better learning outcomes

Flexible schedule: study while you work

Professional real world, industry experienced instructors

Intense hands-on training so you can master your skill set

See more reasons

Taylor Tietze Auto Body Collision Estimator

My grandfather started Coache Collision Ltd. in 1975, and my father began working there in 1985, as a collision estimator. My grandfather retired in 2008 leaving the company to my dad, who has owned it since then. I had only worked at the company in the summer during high school washing cars and cleaning the shop. After graduating high school, I jumped from job to job; never really happy with the different fields of work I was in. In January 2012 I went back to Coache Collision and started to do more than just wash cars, enjoying everything that I did. I soon came to the realization that this is where I belonged, and the career path I had chosen was to follow in my grandfather and father’s footsteps and join the family business.

To advance to the Collision Estimator position at Coache Collision, I was required to take a course related to the work I would be doing. After doing some research and reading many online reviews, I decided to enroll in the Auto Body Collision Estimator program at the Automotive Training Centre in Surrey, BC. This would prove to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The topics covered in class and the knowledge handed down were made easy to understand, and there was no stone left unturned. Even my dad, who has been in the industry for 28 years was astounded at the amount I was learning, and the rate at which I was learning it as well. I was even able to teach him a few things he didn’t already know!

Immediately, within the first week of the class, I was excited to learn, comfortable with the environment and my fellow classmates, and extremely confident in my instructor, Ward MacDougall. Ward has found a way to make the classroom a fun place to be, whilst packing in copious amounts of knowledge at the same time. His teaching methods and the way he conducted himself inside and outside the class were outstanding, and he had done for me what no other teacher had ever done before, he made me love coming to school in the morning to learn. All of the staff at ATC were extremely friendly and accommodating, making me feel comfortable every step of the way.

It’s April 2013 now and I am happily working with my dad in the family business as a Collision Estimator, and loving every minute of it. The transitions between work and school couldn’t have been smoother thanks to the work of the ATC staff, and my incredible instructor Ward. I would highly recommend ATC without hesitation to anyone looking to go into the Automotive Industry.

Thank you to all the staff at ATC and especially Ward MacDougall for making my learning experience a pleasure, and helping to jump start my career.

Graduate, Auto Body Collision Estimator program, 2013,

Taylor Tietze

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