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A debt collector is a debt collector. He acts as a kind of intermediary between the debtor and the creditor (the creditor is most often a bank or a microfinance organization). Although there are many stories on the net about debt collectors crossing the law and intimidating debtors, in reality, the work of such a specialist must comply with legal norms and requirements. This is a profession that is quite popular and in demand in the modern labor market, belonging to a greater extent to the category of “man-to-man”. By the way, in 2021, the career guidance center ProfGuide developed an accurate career guidance test. He himself will tell you what professions suit you, give an opinion about your personality type and intelligence.

Brief description: who is a collector?

Collectors usually work for collection agencies. Such agencies receive remuneration in the amount of a certain percentage of the amount of returned debts. The specifics of recovering funds from a client who has assumed any financial obligations, but does not fulfill them in a timely manner, depends on their nature. However, in general, it is aimed at preventing the growth of debt and ensuring its repayment as quickly as possible. In the most difficult cases, collectors work in cooperation with law enforcement officials, including bailiffs.

Features of the profession

The collector is required to have sufficiently deep knowledge in several areas. He must understand the specifics of the financial industry, its legal aspects, be able to find and process large amounts of information, and also have a good understanding of human psychology. All this is necessary to cope with the following main responsibilities:

  • Finding a debtor and establishing contact with him.
  • Informing about the existing debt and methods of its repayment (by methods and methods permitted by law).
  • Negotiating with the debtor, holding personal meetings in the manner prescribed by legal norms.
  • Clarification of the current financial situation of the debtor, search and offer of various ways to resolve it.
  • Use of tools permitted by law to obtain information about the debtor.
  • Appeal to law enforcement agencies in case of unsuccessful attempts to negotiate with the debtor in a pre-trial order.
  • Work in cooperation with the FSSP in the recovery of debt based on the results of the court.

All those actions of representatives of collection agencies that often become the subject of heated debate – threats, visits to debtors in a manner different from those established by law, transfer of personal information to third parties – are absolutely unprofessional and are not part of the collector’s duties.

Pros and cons of the profession of a collector

pros

  1. The popularity of collectors and collection agencies.
  2. A fairly high percentage of remuneration for repaid debts.
  3. The opportunity to expand knowledge in the financial sector and retrain in a related industry.
  4. Understanding the basics of the work of human psychology, applicable in everyday life and personal life.

Minuses

  1. The ambiguous attitude of society towards representatives of the profession.
  2. Potential financial difficulties are associated with the fact that in order to receive a reward, you need to achieve the desired actions from the debtor.
  3. Quite a high level of stress.

Important Personal Qualities

In order to successfully fill a collector’s vacancy, stress resistance, communication skills, perseverance, determination, the ability to find an approach to people and convince them, as well as analytical thinking, legal and financial literacy, will not interfere. This is a job for extroverts who do not experience psychological stress when communicating (including negatively colored ones).

Collector Training

Everyone knows who a collector is, but few have any idea where you can get such a profession. There is no such specialty in universities and colleges, although a higher education of an economic or legal nature will not interfere with successful work and building a career in this field. Many collection agencies looking for new employees teach applicants the necessary knowledge and skills in special short courses. This is the best option for where to get the profession of a collector. Former law enforcement officers are especially willing to be hired by such agencies, but even without experience in such structures (and if you have the necessary personal qualities), you can succeed in this field.

Courses

School of Professional Collector “Teaching Debt Collection”

This educational institution offers courses on training collectors in Moscow. The program was developed in cooperation with representatives of the bailiff service and provides for the acquisition of all the necessary skills to successfully start working in a collection agency. Upon completion of studies, participants receive certificates of the established form.

As already noted, the collector profession itself does not correspond to any particular specialization of secondary or higher education. However, it is best suited for those who already have a higher legal or economic education, so here are a few examples of popular universities for collectors in these profiles:

  1. Moscow State Law Academy
  2. MUI
  3. Lomonosov Moscow State University
  4. NRU HSE
  5. RUDN University
  6. MENU

Place of work

Collectors work in collection agencies or open their own organizations of a similar plan. Only a legal entity, and not an individual entrepreneur, has the right to engage in this type of activity.