Telesure & 1Life Interview Questions 2026 | Johannesburg

If you're preparing for a Telesure or 1Life interview at their Johannesburg campus — most commonly based in Dainfern, Riverglades — you've come to the right place. Both brands sit under the Telesure Investment Holdings umbrella and are among South Africa's most active recruiters of call centre agents, insurance sales consultants, and claims handlers. Competition for these roles is real, and knowing what to expect before you walk into that interview room can make the difference between an offer and a polite rejection email.

This guide goes well beyond the generic tips you'll find on job boards. We've drawn on ShiftMate's direct experience supporting frontline workers through the South African call centre hiring process — including what interviewers at financial services companies in Johannesburg's northern suburbs consistently look for, and the preparation mistakes that quietly sink otherwise strong candidates.

About Telesure Investment Holdings & 1Life Insurance

Telesure Investment Holdings (TIH) is one of South Africa's largest direct financial services groups. The stable includes well-known brands like Dialdirect, Hippo.co.za, Budget Insurance, 1Life Insurance, Miway, and several others. If you're applying to any of these brands, you may be interviewed at TIH's main campus in Dainfern, Riverglen/Riverglades, north of Johannesburg.

1Life Insurance specifically focuses on direct life, disability, and funeral cover — sold primarily over the phone and digitally. This means the roles they hire for are heavily sales and service-oriented, and their interview process reflects that. They want people who can connect with a stranger over a phone line and build enough trust to close a policy.

TIH consistently ranks among the top employers in the South African call centre sector. They invest significantly in training, which is good news for entry-level candidates — but it also means they're selective. They'd rather hire someone with the right attitude and train them on product than hire a slick salesperson who cuts corners on compliance.

The Telesure / 1Life Interview Process: What to Expect

Understanding the structure of the process is the first step to feeling confident walking in. Based on candidate feedback and ShiftMate's working knowledge of financial services hiring in Johannesburg, here is what the typical process looks like:

Stage 1: Online Application & CV Screening

Applications go through an ATS (applicant tracking system). Your CV is screened for minimum requirements — Matric, a clear credit record (important for financial services roles), and relevant experience. Make sure your CV is clean, chronological, and free of unexplained gaps.

Stage 2: Telephonic Screening Interview

A recruiter or HR coordinator will call you for a 15–30 minute telephonic screen. This is not a casual chat. They're assessing your communication clarity, energy, and basic suitability. Speak clearly, avoid filler words, and have your CV in front of you. You'll typically be asked:

• "Tell me about yourself."
• "Why are you interested in working for Telesure / 1Life?"
• "Do you have any sales or call centre experience?"
• "What is your current notice period?"

Stage 3: Online Assessments

Many TIH roles — especially sales consultant and claims positions — include online psychometric or skills assessments. These typically test numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and sometimes a basic English proficiency check. They're not designed to trick you; they're benchmarking you against the role profile. Practice timed reading comprehension and basic arithmetic before your interview date.

Stage 4: Face-to-Face or Video Panel Interview

This is the main event. You'll typically face 2–3 interviewers, which may include a line manager and an HR business partner. Expect a mix of:

• Competency-based (STAR-format) questions
• Situational / role-play scenarios
• Motivational questions about your career
• A compliance or values-based question

For sales consultant roles specifically, a brief role-play — where you're asked to sell a product or handle an objection — is common. Don't panic. They're assessing your approach, not whether you can recite policy terms on day one.

Stage 5: Background Checks & Offer

TIH conducts credit checks, criminal checks, and qualification verification before extending an offer. Given that agents handle sensitive financial data and sell regulated products, this is standard. A poor credit record can disqualify you — even if you aced the interview. If your credit history has issues, address them proactively before applying.

Total process length: 1–3 weeks from application to offer, sometimes longer during peak recruitment cycles.

Real Telesure & 1Life Interview Questions (With How to Answer Them)

These are the questions that come up repeatedly — drawn from candidate experiences, publicly shared interview feedback, and ShiftMate's broader knowledge of financial services interview practices in South Africa.

"Tell me about yourself."

This is your 90-second pitch. Don't recite your CV. Structure it as: where you've come from (relevant background), what you're good at, and why you're here (why this role, why now). Keep it professional and focused on value you'll bring.

"Why do you want to work in insurance / financial services?"

This is one of the most important questions and one of the worst-answered. Don't say "because I want to grow" — that's not an answer. Connect it to something real: the stability of the sector, a personal experience with insurance, or genuine interest in helping people protect what matters to them.

"Describe a time you handled a difficult customer."

Use the STAR format: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Be specific. Vague answers like "I just stayed calm and resolved it" don't score well. Tell them exactly what the customer's complaint was, what you said or did, and what the outcome was.

"How do you handle rejection or not meeting your targets?"

This is a resilience and self-awareness question. Don't pretend rejection doesn't bother you — that's not believable. Instead, show that you have a healthy process: you reflect, you adjust, you keep going. Reference a real moment if you can.

"What do you know about Telesure / 1Life?"

This separates candidates who did homework from those who didn't. Know the brand you're applying to specifically. For 1Life: they're a direct life insurer focused on accessibility and affordability. For TIH broadly: they're a multi-brand direct financial services group. Mention something specific — a recent campaign, a product feature, or their stated values.

"How would you sell a product to someone who says they can't afford it?"

This is an objection-handling question. They want to see empathy first, then problem-solving. Acknowledge the concern, explore what "can't afford" actually means, and pivot to value rather than price. Don't argue. Don't ignore the objection. Show process.

"Where do you see yourself in 3–5 years?"

Be honest about ambition but frame it within the company. Something like: "I want to become highly competent in this role first, build my product knowledge, and then look at senior sales or team leader opportunities within the business." Avoid saying you plan to leave for something completely different.

"Are you comfortable with targets and KPIs?"

Say yes — and back it up. If you've worked in a target-driven environment before, tell them your typical KPIs and how you performed. If you haven't, speak to how you've set personal goals and held yourself accountable.

"How do you manage stress in a high-pressure environment?"

Be specific and practical. "I exercise" is a start, but add something work-related: how you prioritise tasks, how you decompress between calls, or how you use your team for support. Self-awareness scores highly here.

"Do you have a clear credit record?"

This comes up early, sometimes in the telephonic screen. Answer honestly. If there are issues, it's better to disclose and explain than to be caught out in the background check. Some issues are manageable; undisclosed ones are not.

The Role-Play Round: What It Looks Like and How to Nail It

For sales consultant roles at 1Life in particular, a short role-play scenario is common in the panel stage. The interviewer will play the customer; you'll be asked to handle an inbound or outbound call scenario. Here's what they're actually assessing:

• Greeting and tone: Do you sound warm, professional, and confident from the first sentence?
• Needs discovery: Do you ask questions before pitching, or do you just start selling?
• Objection handling: Can you stay calm and empathetic when the "customer" pushes back?
• Compliance awareness: Do you volunteer that you'll send confirmation in writing, or mention that the call is recorded? (This matters in financial services.)
• Close: Do you ask for the business, or do you trail off and wait?

You don't need to know the product. You need to demonstrate the process. They'll train you on product. They can't train you to be a natural communicator.

What Telesure & 1Life Are Really Looking For

Beyond the specific questions, here is the profile both brands are consistently hiring for in 2026:

• Communication skills: Clear, confident, and warm. Not scripted-sounding.
• Resilience: This is a high-volume sales and service environment. People who crumble under pressure don't last.
• Integrity: Financial services is a regulated environment (FSCA-supervised). They need people they can trust with client data and financial decisions.
• Coachability: They invest in training. They want people who can take feedback and implement it quickly.
• Target-orientation: Not aggressive, but genuinely motivated by achievement.

ShiftMate's experience placing workers into financial services contact centres across Johannesburg consistently shows that candidates who understand the regulatory environment of insurance — even at a surface level — stand out immediately. Mentioning that you understand agents operate under FAIS and FICA shows a level of seriousness that most entry-level candidates don't demonstrate.

Minimum Requirements for Telesure & 1Life Roles

While requirements vary by role, here are the baseline expectations for most frontline positions:

• Matric / Grade 12 certificate (non-negotiable for most roles)
• Clear criminal record
• Clear credit record (checked against the NCA — important for FAIS-regulated roles)
• South African ID
• RE5 qualification (advantageous but not always required — TIH often provides this in-house)
• Previous call centre or sales experience (preferred but not always required for entry-level intakes)
• Strong written and verbal English communication

Salary Ranges for Telesure & 1Life Roles in 2026

Salaries at TIH are competitive for the financial services call centre sector. Here are approximate ranges based on publicly available information and market benchmarks:

• Call Centre Agent (inbound/service): R8,000 – R12,000 basic per month + benefits
• Insurance Sales Consultant: R8,500 – R14,000 basic + commission (OTE can significantly exceed basic for strong performers)
• Claims Handler: R10,000 – R16,000 per month depending on experience
• Team Leader / Supervisor: R18,000 – R28,000 per month

Commission structures at 1Life and other TIH sales brands can be meaningful — top performers regularly earn well above their basic. Ask specifically about commission structure, caps, and payment timelines during your interview. This is a legitimate and professional question to ask.

Getting to Dainfern: Transport Tips for Johannesburg Candidates

The TIH Dainfern campus is located in the Riverglades / Dainfern area, north of Johannesburg — accessible from several key routes but not the most public-transport-friendly location. Here's how to plan your journey:

• By taxi: Take a taxi from Randburg CBD taxi rank (corner of Hill Street and Bram Fischer Drive) toward Fourways. Alight at Fourways Mall and arrange a shorter metered taxi or e-hailing (Uber/Bolt) for the final stretch to Dainfern. Early morning availability is better than late afternoon for the connection.
• By Gautrain feeder bus: The Gautrain Sandton station has feeder buses running toward Fourways. From Fourways, a short Uber or Bolt ride gets you to the Dainfern precinct. Gautrain buses are reliable and on time — important if your interview has a fixed start time.
• By Uber/Bolt: If budget allows, booking directly from Sandton or Randburg is the most reliable option for an interview. Aim to arrive 20 minutes early — the Dainfern area has morning traffic congestion along Witkoppen Road.
• Parking: If you're driving, the campus has parking. GPS to "Telesure Investment Holdings, Dainfern" or the specific street address confirmed in your interview invitation.

Allow extra travel time. Arriving flustered from a traffic delay is a bad way to start a high-stakes interview.

How ShiftMate Helps You Prepare for Financial Services Interviews

At ShiftMate, we've supported hundreds of frontline job seekers through the call centre and financial services hiring process across Johannesburg and beyond. We know how these processes work, what companies like TIH are really screening for, and where good candidates fall through the cracks.

Our Telesure & 1Life careers hub is built specifically to help you understand what these roles involve, what's currently hiring, and how to position yourself as a serious candidate — not just another CV in the pile.

If you're also exploring other contact centre opportunities in Johannesburg, it's worth reading our guides on CallForce interview questions and Nutun interview questions — both offer a useful comparison of how different call centre employers approach their hiring process, and preparing for one often strengthens your performance across all of them.

You can also access our free job-seeker tools to help sharpen your CV, understand your market value, and identify gaps in your application before you submit.

What Happens If You Don't Get the Offer?

Rejection after a Telesure or 1Life interview is more common than most people expect — not because the candidates are bad, but because these companies receive large volumes of applications and have very specific role profiles. Here's what to do:

• Ask for feedback. Not all recruiters will provide it, but it's worth asking. Specific feedback is genuinely valuable for future applications.
• Don't reapply immediately. Most ATS systems flag duplicate applications. Give it at least 3–6 months before reapplying for the same role.
• Apply to other TIH brands. If you didn't get through at 1Life, Dialdirect or Budget Insurance may have roles open — and some recruiters share candidate profiles across brands.
• Keep your skills sharp. If communication or sales skills are flagged as weak, there are free SETA-funded short courses available through INSETA (the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority) that can strengthen your profile.
• Browse other opportunities. ShiftMate lists live job opportunities across the financial services, retail, and logistics sectors — often with employers who offer working interviews, so you can prove your ability on the floor before a permanent offer is made.

Ready to Apply? Start Here

Telesure and 1Life hire regularly across their Johannesburg campus, with intake cycles that often follow business growth periods — particularly Q1 and Q3. If you're ready to take your shot, preparation is your biggest competitive advantage.

Browse current Johannesburg (Dainfern / Riverglades) job opportunities on ShiftMate — and make sure you visit our Telesure & 1Life careers hub for the most up-to-date vacancy listings and application guidance. The candidates who get offers aren't always the most experienced. They're the ones who showed up the most prepared.