Heretaunga College
Debt Collector Kaikohi Nama
Debt collectors help businesses and individuals collect money or goods from people with overdue debts.
Debt collectors may do some or all of the following:
- keep track of client accounts and contact them to find out why they haven't paid their debts
- work with clients to implement payment plans
- organise the repossession of items or legal action against clients to settle overdue debts.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for debt collectors includes:
- work as a legal clerk
- call centre work
- customer service work
- credit control work
- work in a bank or insurance company.
Personal Qualities
Debt collectors need to be:
- good communicators, including with people who are angry or upset
- good negotiators
- emotionally intelligent and able to relate different people
- confident, resilient and self-motivated
- able to work well under pressure
Skills
Debt collectors need to have knowledge of:
- the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act
- relevant sections of the Consumer Guarantees Act and Privacy Act
- District Court rules and procedures.
Conditions
Debt collectors:
usually work regular business hours or do shift work that includes weekends and evenings- work in call centres and offices
- may travel locally or nationally to visit clients.
Subject Recommendations
No specific secondary education is required for this job, but economics, maths and accounting to at least NCEA Level 2 is useful.
Debt Collectors can earn around $48K-$65K per year.
Pay for debt collectors varies depending on skills and experience.
- Debt collectors usually earn between $48,000 and $65,000 a year
- Senior debt collectors who manage teams may earn more than this.
Source: Kelly Services, 'Kelly Services Salary Guide 2019', 2019; and careers.govt.nz research, 2020.
Debt collectors may move into team management roles or other finance industry roles.
Years Of Training
There are no specific requirements to become a debt collector. However, employers may prefer you to have contact centre experience or a New Zealand Certificate in Contact Centres (Level 3 or 4).
Debt collectors gain skills on the job and can also study for their certificate while working.
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