Their role is to make sure that all damage is assessed and recorded. Sometimes a customer may claim on their insurance which means an estimate has to be done and sent through to an engineer to check. Other times a customer may pay for it themselves this is known as a private or retail claim.

A vehicle damage assessor also known as VDA or an Estimator, takes images of the vehicle including the damaged area as well as the whole vehicle. They will mark any damage that appears unrelated to the main damage/claim and let the Customer know about it and how much it will cost to repair. This is called upsell.

If the claim is through an Insurance company, they will check that the accident circumstances match the damage to the vehicle. Sometimes people put false claims in, this is called fraud and a VDA may spot this. If a customer commits fraud they won’t be allowed to claim for the repair.

The VDA will enter the details onto a computer using an estimating system. The photos will be uploaded, and an estimate completed, this will be sent to the Insurer for approval. The VDA’s job is to make sure that the estimate has the right information it about the repair, the right parts, the time needed to repair it and the cost.

Once the estimate has been approved, the customer will be contacted, and the job will be booked into the workshop. The VDA will have to provide a repair method to the technicians who are repairing the vehicle to make sure they do it safely and correctly.

As a VDA you can often expect to:

• Take photos of the vehicle and the damage
• Speak to Customers about what you have found. Speak to Insurance engineers if they have any questions
• Liaise with the workshop to make sure the vehicle gets repaired correctly
• Produce information to make sure the technicians know what to do
• Add on any more damage found to the estimate after work has started
• Invoice the repair so the business gets paid

Remember, every business is different, and every VDA role is too, but if you speak to people who do this job they will say “It’s the best job ever” as you help to assess the damage and contribute to getting the vehicle repaired safely and back to the customer. They are often the first person to see the damage so it’s great for them to see what the vehicle looks like when it is finished.

Don’t worry as we know you may not have the experience just yet, but you may have some of the qualities already such as problem solving and working well as a team.

You will learn all about the role and businesses, and this will help you improve your confidence and give you the experience and support you need to be a great future employee.

So, if you want to be a great VDA here are some of the things, you will need:

• To have good problem-solving skills
• To follow instructions, and have a good eye for detail
• Great teamwork skills to work well with others
• Be able to use your initiative once you are trained
• Great communication skills and a willingness to learn
• Be able to use computers
• Negotiation skills

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A minimum of grade 4 (formerly C Grade) in English & Maths (GCSE or equivalent) is often but not always required.