During the probationary period, the supervisor will be expected to guide the trainee, help them develop their competencies and ensure that they are performing their professional acts properly.

You will be required to coach the trainee in an actual work setting and help them progressively assume tasks reserved for representatives, while providing sufficient supervision to ensure that clients are protected.

During the probationary period, you will be expected to:

  • assume responsibility for the professional acts of the trainee;
  • explain the objectives of the probationary period to the trainee;
  • maintain a trainee file;
  • determine the trainee’s tasks and the timeframes for their completion;
  • review the trainee’s work at least once a week;
  • document meetings, tasks and trainee progress;
  • provide ongoing supervision, even remotely; and
  • inform the employer if the probationary period needs to be modified or cancelled.

ON THIS PAGE:

Your role as a supervisor during the probationary period

During the probationary period, you will need to guide the trainee in acquiring and consolidating the competencies related to their sector or sector class.

You must also coach them in developing their soft skills, such as:

  • social skills,
  • professional behaviours, and
  • attitudes to adopt in their interactions with clients.

The probationary period may start with an observation, product and system training and work familiarization phase (onboarding).

The trainee will then be required to progressively assume tasks reserved for representatives. By the end of the probationary period, the trainee should be able to competently and independently handle files normally assigned to early-career representatives.

Your obligations and responsibilities as a supervisor

During the probationary period, you will be responsible for the professional acts of the trainee. The purpose of supervising the trainee is to prevent errors or omissions by them

You will need to begin the probationary period by meeting with the trainee in order to:

  • present the objectives of the probationary period,
  • explain your respective tasks, and;
  • describe the competencies to be developed.

You will also have to:

  • determine the tasks the trainee will be required to perform;
  • specify the timeframes within which the tasks must be completed;
  • at least once a week, evaluate and review the tasks carried out by the trainee;
  • create a file for each trainee; and
  • allow the trainee to progressively assume acts normally reserved for early-career representatives.

Finally, you will be required to ensure that the trainee:

  • complies with legislation, rules of ethics and rules of professional conduct; has the expected knowledge, competencies, behaviours and attitudes; achieves the required maximum number of hours to complete per week; and
  • possède les connaissances, les habiletés, les attitudes et les comportements attendus;
  • respecte le nombre maximal d’heures par semaine;
  • meets the prescribed minimum duration of the probationary period.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The trainee will also have responsibilities during the probationary period. See the Trainees page to learn about their specific obligations.

Acts the supervisor will be required to perform depending on the sector

Your specific responsibilities will vary depending on the sector or sector class the trainee is registered in.

Insurance of persons

You will be required to:

  • approuver les produits et services avant qu’ils soient proposés au client par le stagiaire; 
  • consigner cette approbation dans le dossier du client; 
  • contresigner, s’il y a lieu, toute proposition ou tout formulaire, notamment les avis aux fins de remplacement.

Group insurance of persons

You will be required to:

  • approve products and services before the trainee proposes them to the client;
  • enter your approval in the client file;
  • countersign, where applicable, any proposals or forms, including, but not limited to, notices for replacement purposes; and
  • evaluate the case study completed by the trainee.

Personal-lines damage insurance

After the trainee sells products or services, you will be required to:

  • review the trainee’s work; and
  • document the review in the client file the next business day.

Commercial-lines damage insurance

You will be required to:

  • approve products, coverages or guarantees before the trainee proposes them to the client;
  • enter your approval in the client file; and
  • countersign, where applicable, any proposals or forms, including, but not limited to, notices for replacement purposes.

Claims adjustment

You will be required to:

  • verify the information gathered by the trainee;
  • approve the items related to the claim investigation, damage assessment or settlement negotiations;
  • enter your approval in the client file;
  • assist the trainee in presenting the items to the insured; and
  • allow the trainee to assist you during the settlement negotiations.

Mortgage brokerage

You will be required to:

  • approve the proposed loan and any other recommendations pertaining to the mortgage brokerage transaction before they are presented to the client; 
  • approve the loan application before it is submitted to the lender; and
  • enter the approvals in the client record.
Insight

The trainee will also need to perform certain professional acts during the probationary period. See the section Authorized professional acts to find out which ones.

End of the insight

Contents of the trainee file

You will be required to open a file for each trainee.

The trainee file evidences the quality of supervision provided by the supervisor and employer. Trainees’ files must be kept by the employer for five years.

The file contents must include, without being limited to:

  • the trainee’s weekly task list covering the activities of a representative acting in the sector or sector class concerned;
  • the expected time for each task;
  • the hours worked in each sector or sector class;
  • notes on the trainee’s learning progress;
  • summaries of the meetings between the supervisor and the trainee;
  • list of files the trainee has worked on;
  • justifications and compensatory measures taken, if any, should the trainee be unable to perform all the activities reserved for representatives; and
  • in the group insurance of persons sector, the recommendation preparation and group insurance plan/group annuity plan implementation case studies.

Trainee file templates by sector

The AMF provides trainee file templates for each sector.

Supervising a trainee remotely

You may supervise a trainee remotely during the probationary period. However, if you do so, your obligations and those of the trainee will be the same as when supervision is in person.

Remote supervision should allow you to coach the trainee, review their work, track their progress and ensure that professional acts are performed in accordance with AMF requirements.

In particular, you should:

  • clearly indicate in the trainee’s file that supervision was done remotely;
  • supervise the trainee when they perform the required professional acts; 
  • keep evidence of your meetings with the trainee, whether such meetings are in person, by phone or by videoconferencing;
  • keep evidence that the trainee's work has been reviewed;
  • keep evidence that you supervised information collection, when applicable;
  • evaluate and review the tasks performed by the trainee at least once a week;
  • document the tasks performed by the trainee in the trainee file; and
  • include meeting summaries in the trainee file as well as notes evidencing the trainee’s progress during the probationary period.

The AMF may request this evidence, particularly during an inspection.

Warning

The AMF is of the view that for supervision to be effective, it cannot rely solely on meeting summaries prepared by the trainee.

As a supervisor, you should be able to check the trainee’s work, assess its quality and document follow-up in the trainee’s file.

End of the warning

Remote approvals

You may approve a trainee’s proposal or recommendation electronically but only after reviewing:

  • the entire client file;
  • the proposal or recommendation suggested by the trainee; and
  • the information required to assess the quality of the work performed.

If the computer system allows it, your approval may be provided directly in the client’s file. It may also be provided by means of:

  • an exchange of clear and detailed e-mails
  • a conversation recorded between you and the trainee; or
  • an electronic signature.

Regardless of the method used, a record of your approval must be kept in the client’s file and made accessible on request.

Meeting and following up with the trainee

Meetings may be held remotely, including by phone or videoconferencing, but only if you can still access client files and really assess the quality of the trainee's work.

You should evaluate and review the tasks performed by the trainee once a week. Closer supervision should be performed if the situation warrants it.

Case study in the group insurance sector

In the group insurance of persons sector, the trainee must complete a case study for each selected sector class. The case study will be used to validate the trainee’s understanding of the recommendation process.

The AMF provides model case studies for supervisors and trainees:

  • Case study – Group insurance plans
  • Case study – Group annuity plans

The answer keys for the case studies, entitled Solutions, are confidential. The AMF makes them available to supervisors. You can procure them by submitting an Other application/request – Qualification in AMF E-Services.

What to do if someone goes on vacation or is absent

If you go on vacation or become temporarily unavailable and the employer has not designated another supervisor to ensure continuity of supervision while you are away, the trainee will have to stop performing reserved professional acts.

If a change in supervision is necessary, the employer will need to send an Application to add or remove a supervisor before the change can be made.

The trainee will also be able to take vacation or sick days without notifying the AMF. However, such absences, including statutory holidays, will not be included in the required number of hours for the probationary period.

The trainee should not perform reserved professional acts during the times they are absent.

If the trainee reaches the end of the maximum duration of the probationary period and has not completed the required number of hours for the period owing to their or your absences, the employer will need to submit an Application to cancel probationary period.

The probationary period cannot be extended beyond the set maximum duration.

How to modify or cancel a probationary period

If the start date of the probationary period needs to be changed, the employer will need to:

  1. cancel the probationary period
  2. file a new application for authorization; and
  3. indicate the new start date.

The probationary period cannot be extended beyond the set maximum duration.

You and the employer are also responsible for terminating the probationary period if you find that the trainee will not be able to meet the criteria for obtaining a representative’s certificate.;

For example, if the trainee reaches the end of the maximum duration of the probationary period and has not completed the required number of hours for the period, the employer will need to submit an Application to cancel a probationary period.

The AMF should be informed within five days if the trainee cannot complete the probationary period within the maximum duration or discontinues it.

An inadvertent error by the trainee is not sufficient reason for you to cancel a probationary period. Similarly, not meeting an employer’s sales targets is not a valid reason to refuse to recommend successful completion of the probationary period. As the probationary period is a learning stage, the trainee must be given the opportunity to develop their competencies.

You should assess the gravity of the situation and its impact on your final recommendation. You should also take the required steps to guide and coach the trainee.

If, based on one or more situations, you choose not to recommend successful completion of the probationary period, you should submit a negative recommendation. See the section Trainee - Unsuccessful completion and repeat of the probationary period to learn more about situations.

Insight

Probationary period checklist

During the probationary period, make sure to:

  • meet with the trainee at the start of the period;
  • present the objectives and competencies to be developed;
  • determine the tasks the trainee will be required to perform;
  • review their work at least once a week;
  • document meetings and follow-ups;
  • maintain a complete trainee file;
  • keep evidence of your supervision;
  • document your approvals in the client files;
  • provide ongoing supervision; and
  • act promptly if an absence or a change in supervision occurs.
End of the insight

FAQs

Will I be responsible for supervising the trainee’s professional acts?

Yes, you will be responsible for supervising the professional acts performed by the trainee during the probationary period.

How often should I review the trainee’s work?

You should evaluate and review the tasks performedby the trainee at least once a week.

Am I allowed to supervise trainees remotely?

Yes, provided it is done in such a way as to allow you and the trainee to still meet your respective obligations.

What should I do if I am on vacation or unavailable?

If another supervisor has not been designated, the trainee will have to stop performing reserved professional acts.

Am I allowed to cancel the probationary period after a trainee commits an error?

No, not if the error is inadvertent. You will need to assess the gravity of the situation, coach the trainee and determine the situation’s impact on your recommendation.