Financial Adviser

On a financial adviser apprenticeship course, you’ll help give clients specialist advice on how to manage their money.

A financial adviser educates clients on how to manage their money professionally. For example, you might work as an apprentice for a large company, a bank, or a small specialised consulting firm.

You’ll build long-term customer relationships by researching the industry and recommending the finest products and services. Depending on your clients, you may specialise in specific products, such as selling employee pension plans to companies or offering mortgage, pension, or investment advice to individual consumers.

Financial advisers operate in a highly regulated atmosphere, so you’ll need to pursue professional qualifications while also showing integrity and adhering to a code of ethics. Those in other fields may progress via the financial advisor apprenticeship programme.

What you’ll learn

On a financial adviser apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Decide confidently and safely while fully aware of the risks and potential external repercussions. Recognise when to seek further professional help while adhering to high ethical standards and the Treating Customers Fairly criterion.
• Proactively and often meet the company’s specified service/quality assurance standards, including complaints procedures.
• Assist and collaborate with colleagues consistently to get excellent customer results.
• Establish long-term customer relationships. You may generate new opportunities for business growth via referrals and networking. 
• Apply regulatory responsibilities as a Financial Adviser to the company. In addition, maintain the relevant authority’s Fit and Proper Person requirements (s).
• Demonstrate technical proficiency in using the firm’s information technology systems to complete the advising process, keep accurate records, and agree on review meetings to maintain the client/adviser relationship. In addition, check to see whether the Data Protection Act is being breached.
• Make eye contact and communicate empathically. Present and explain complex material clearly and efficiently, both orally and verbally.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• Depending on the employer, but likely A-levels or equivalent qualifications or relevant experience.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises two distinct assessment methods: 

• Case study test  
• A viva, based on a portfolio of evidence put together by the apprentice

Restrictions and requirements

You’ll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 4 Financial Adviser Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.