Life Assurance Agents - did they get transferred frequently?

[Vimeira]

One of my great-grandfathers listed himself as Superintendent of Assurance Agents (Indus. Life Assurance in 1911) and his family seemed to move very frequently - every few years. They started in south Wales, and then in the Home Counties and London. I’d always supposed they were flitting (he drank) but does anyone know if insurance workers were perhaps transferred regularly by Head Office? Thanks.

[Regorian]

Yes, my great aunts husband was in the Pru, they moved around a lot.

[Vimeira]

Thanks, that’s useful to know. I’ll stop maligning them then!

[Regorian]

Yes, he was manager of the Dulcote Leatherboard Coy. in 1901 Census, now part of the Dean Heritage Centre, Soudley, Forest of Dean. Two sons were KIA in 1915 and are on the Lydney War Memorial. One is on the Newport, Shropshire War Memorial, perhaps both. One brother was in the N. Staffs Regt. and the other in the S. Staffs Regt. instead of the Gloucestershire Regiment. They were back living in Lydney by 1914.     

[goldie61]

Sorry to play devil's advocate here, but my father and several of my uncles were agents with the Pru, and they never moved around at all! They spent their whole lives in the same small town.

Have you tried contacting the insurance company he worked for to get any records they might have?
Was it the 'Indus' company he worked for? Or does the full stop you put after the name signify it's an abbreviation for something?
I tried Googling "Indus" insurance company, as per your post, but got lots of hits for insurance companies in India!
When I was looking into my father's records, the Prudential company were marvellous. They sent me a copy of his whole work record which had personal comments on it too - all very complimentary thankfully! 

[Gadget]

Another devil's advocate like goldie.

My aunty's husband was an agent for the Royal Liver and when he died my aunty took over. They lived in the same place all their lives.

Mobility might be to do with the position in the firm -i.e. moving for a better job, etc.

Gadget

[Mart 'n' Al]

My great hero, Frank Crummitt, sang, "There's no one with endurance like the man who sells insurance."

https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/theresnoonewithendurance.html

Lyrics, well worth  reading!

Martin

[Regorian]

Perhaps my subject was in a minority. He was a high flyer, became a director of several company's, including Midland Blue that lost out to Midland Red. He was a councillor at Stratford Upon Avon and was supposed to be mayor in 1938 or 1939. Wasn't, because his wife was very ill at the time although she recovered and lived to 1954.

One of my grandfathers brothers was also an assurance agent and stayed put in FoD. He built up a tidy sum of capital by the time he died in 1929. In the Census of 1891 he was marked 'deaf' !!!

[Vimeira]

Thanks for all the info - “Indus. Life Assurance” is what he put on the 1911 census - it’s probably short for Industrial (he started off in industrial south Wales) but he doesn't say which company. He always put himself down as a Superintendent (but the family were prone to poshing themselves up).

I looked up "industrial life assurance co." on the BNA and there are a number of ads for agents and superintendents, all of them locally based. It’s possible he kept applying for what looked like better openings elsewhere as Gadget says. They raised eight children on the proceeds!