Financial adviser : Training

Giving investment financial advice is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) . In order to become a qualified financial adviser you must take specific professional qualifications.

The minimum level of qualification for financial advisers working in the retail investment market has recently increased from QCT level 3 to level 4/SCQF level 8. The new level 4 qualifications are:

• Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)  - Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning
• Chartered Banker Institute  - Diploma in Investment Planning
• ifs School of Finance  - Diploma for Financial Advisers
• Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)  - Investment Advice Diploma
• SQA/Calibrand Diploma in Professional Financial Advice  

For more information on the appropriate qualifications, see the FSA and Financial Skills Partnership  websites.

Financial advisers who want to provide advice on mortgages or equity, stocks and shares, or long-term care protection will need to take additional examinations.

Many trainee advisers begin as tied advisers, gaining basic training in a range of financial products. Employers usually provide this in-house through a combination of formal tuition and on-the-job training. Trainees will gradually begin to work with clients under supervision and, gaining experience and qualifications, will acquire their own book of clients.

In the early stages, you will usually shadow an experienced financial adviser, doing some of the research and administration connected with their work, and then you will gradually begin to deal directly with clients yourself, under supervision. As you become more experienced, you will acquire your own list of clients.

Most employers provide training and pay for examinations, but trainees are usually expected to study outside working hours, and many courses offer distance learning opportunities. After you are qualified, regular supervision ensures that you maintain levels of competence and compliance with regulations.