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Financial adviser

Alternative titles for this job include Independent financial adviser, financial planner, wealth manager

Financial advisers help people and organisations choose investments, savings, pensions, mortgages and insurance products.

Average salary (a year)

£23,000 Starter

to

£60,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

35 to 38 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends attending events or appointments

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

University

This role is open to graduates of most subjects.

Particularly relevant subjects include:

  • financial services
  • business management
  • accountancy

Once you finish your course, you could apply to join a finance company or a bank as a graduate trainee adviser.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

More Information

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship, with a financial organisation, such as:

  • Financial Adviser Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Paraplanner and Financial Planner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Financial Services Professional Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

More Information

Work

You could start as a financial services administrator, pensions administrator or customer services adviser and work your way up.

To do this, you'll need to study for a level 4 qualification in financial advice recognised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

These include:

If you work in pensions, you could do qualifications offered by the Pensions Management Institute, while you move into an adviser role.

More Information

Registration

Further information

You can find more information about working in financial services from Walbrook Institute London or Pension Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills for finding out customer needs
  • knowledge of economics and accounting for understanding financial markets and products
  • maths knowledge for creating financial plans
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • active listening skills
  • business management skills for negotiating product rates
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a financial adviser, you could:

  • talk to clients about their finances and plans
  • research financial products and explain them simply and clearly
  • negotiate with providers of financial products
  • produce financial reports
  • update clients about their pensions and investments
  • meet performance and sales targets
  • keep up to date with new products and law changes

Working environment

You could work in an office, from home, at a client's home or in a contact centre.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could:

  • specialise in one area of work, like pensions
  • become a manager to recruit and train new staff
  • become a director or partner of your company
  • move into compliance, making sure companies follow guidelines and laws

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Apprentice Paraplanner

  • Wage: £24,000 a year Annually
  • Location: London
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

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Speak to an adviser

You can call 0800 100 900 or use webchat to speak to an adviser.

We're open:

  • 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday
  • 10am to 5pm Saturdays and bank holidays

We're closed on Sundays, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

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