Financial adviser

You could start by doing a degree in:

• financial services
• business management
• accountancy

Once you finish your course you could apply to join a financial services company or bank as a trainee adviser.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

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

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• student finance for fees and living costs
• university courses and entry requirements

You could do a financial adviser higher apprenticeship or a financial services professional 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

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

You could start as a financial services administrator or customer services adviser in a bank 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:

• Chartered Insurance Institute Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning
• The London Institute of Banking & Finance Diploma for Financial Advisers
• Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment Investment Advice Diploma

Registration

• you'll need to register as an 'approved person' by the Financial Conduct Authority

Further information

You can find more on working in financial services through The London Institute of Banking & Finance.

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

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

Your day-to-day tasks will include:

• talking to clients about their finances and plans
• researching financial products and explaining them simply and clearly
• negotiating with providers of financial products
• producing financial reports
• updating clients about their investments
• meeting performance and sales targets
• keeping up to date with new products and law changes

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