Trying to break into Financial Planning
ryanpbarton
Member
Hello all,
I'm a final-year business student set to graduate this summer, and I'm keen to start a career in Financial Planning. I recently had a conversation with (what seems to be) a well-regarded recruiter in my area who gave me a broad overview of the industry, including typical career progression and entry-level opportunities. However, I’m still unclear on the specific experience or qualifications required to land even an entry-level Administrator position.
Many of the Administrator roles I’ve come across seem to ask for 1–2 years of relevant experience—something I currently lack as a new graduate. My plan is to begin in an Administrator role to build up my industry experience while working towards relevant qualifications, with the goal of eventually moving into a paraplanning role. Is this a smart/effective plan to pursue towards becoming a paraplanner?
Is it realistic for a graduate to step directly into an Administrator position with no experience? If so, what’s the most effective way to find these opportunities? And if not, what steps could I take to make myself a strong candidate?
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated!
Comments
From my experience companies are usually more than happy to take on graduates as administrators, and then the best way to progress quickly is to a) do your exams ASAP and b) try to read as much "real world" financial planning resources as possible. Places like abrdn techzone and Pruadviser are usually your best bets.
Thirdly, if the company that takes you on is happy for you to do so (most should be), try to book in time with business development managers of providers that the company most frequently uses, they are great people to learn from about the features of different products.
Good luck!