The St. James’s Place Academy provides an exciting opportunity for individuals to build a career in financial planning and wealth management. Our fully funded and supported two-year career change programme enables people from a wide range of career backgrounds to retrain to become qualified financial planners, enabling them to achieve their career goals. Whether that is to either run their financial planning and wealth management business or become a financial adviser in one of our many successful St. James’s Place Practices. Additionally, we provide an opportunity to retrain as a qualified Paraplanner to support one of our Partner Practices.
One of our previous Academists, Hannah Brace, was selected to join the Academy programme in October 2017 and graduated as a qualified finacial planner in November 2019. Hannah’s previous career was in teaching and she decided to join the Academy after feeling the increasing demand on her unsustainable work life balance. The St. James’s Place Academy opportunity enables people to be in charge of their own diaries and work around the personal demands of their lives. With the added benefit of continual and ongoing support from both a dedicated Mentor and Business Development Manager, which Hannah received from day one.
Her Academy journey is briefly explored in this interview and captures some important aspects about her career transition which we believe prospective Academists from the teaching profession would find interesting.
Why did you leave your previous job and join the Academy?
“I absolutely loved my job as a teacher, but I increasingly felt that, for me, the work-life balance was not sustainable. I was disillusioned with the changes that had been made politically within the education system and a lot of my morals and beliefs just didn’t align any longer. The Academy gave me a supportive environment to learn a whole new set of skills and acquire new knowledge. I wanted to find a career with flexibility, but still feel like I am making an impact on peoples’ lives.”
How have you found the transition experience to becoming a financial planner and wealth management adviser?
“It’s been a lot harder than I anticipated. It is a whole new way and style of working that is so far removed from my previous career that it has taken a bit of time to get used to. It’s a career of patience and resilience, especially during this transition period.”
What have you gained professionally or personally from the Academy?
“I’ve learned that it’s always okay to ask for help and that people are always willing to support you. Our Academy group keep in touch on WhatsApp and everyone is always pinging questions and asking for advice on the group.”
What has been your highest and lowest points of your Academy journey?
“For me, the high point of the Academy journey was the people and colleagues that I shared the experience with. We laughed together, studied together and sometimes even cried together. It was a supportive group and we continue to support each other today.
The lowest point of my Academy journey was after the main classroom part was over and suddenly, I was working from home. I felt quite isolated and lonely and have had to find ways to adapt to that. I’ve begun to go to co-working office twice a week to overcome this.”
For further information about the St. James’s Place Academy, please visit our website: www.sjp.co.uk/academy
One of our current Academists, Elizabeth Scott, was selected to join the Academy programme in May 2018 and now looks forward to graduating as a qualified financial planner in 2020. Elizabeth’s previous career was in teaching and she decided to join the Academy due to the unsustainable workload and stress. She mentioned that “despite losing my school holidays, I haven’t missed them one bit”.
Her Academy journey is briefly explored in this interview and captures some important aspects about her career transition which we believe prospective Academists from the teaching profession would find interesting.
Why did you leave your previous job and join the Academy?
“The stress and continuous workload that comes with being a teacher is unlike any other job I have ever done and ulitmately casued me to change career. I also thought that the Academy offered me an excellent and comprehensive training programme, which would give me a very clear career direction and a lot of support.”
How have you found the transition experience to becoming a financial planner and wealth management adviser?
“It’s been challenging in the best way, but I’ve been able to really use the skills that I have gained while teaching such as getting to know new people, forming good relationships and giving great advice, which is what all teachers excel at, albeit in a slightly different context.”
What have been the highest and lowest points of your Academy journey?
“One of my high points from the programme was passing all my exams first time and oddly, being treated like an adult deserving of respect. This was something I didn’t realise I missed until it happened!”
“Leaving the Academy training was bittersweet and setting up a business is extremely difficult, with good and bad months. However, I’ve endeavoured to learn from this experience. Financially it hasn’t been easy but it’s now picking up as my business develops and I work with new clients.”
What have been your impressions since joining St James’s Place?
“St. James’s Place is a fantastic company and the client service and products offering are excellent. I’ve seen clients who have made a lot of money through their investments and are delighted with the service they have received. My mentor was brilliant, and my Development Managers has been really supportive. My Academy colleagues have been very welcoming and absolutely everyone I have phoned for advice in the company’s Admin Centres have been amazingly helpful. I think that this is a great testament to a company – if admin and support staff are happy, you know they’re being treated well which means that they will do the best they can for you too.”
For further information about the St. James’s Place Academy, please visit our website:
WHAT ATTRACTS naval personnel to the St. James’s Place academy?
The St. James’s Place Academy provides an exciting opportunity for individuals to build a career in Financial Planning and Wealth Management. Our fully funded and supported two-year career change programme enables people from a wide range of career backgrounds to retrain to become qualified financial planners, enabling them to achieve their career goals. Whether that is to either run their Financial Planning and Wealth Management business or become a Financial Adviser in one of our many successful St. James’s Place Practices, we will help them.
The Academy has lots of success stories about ex-service men and women who’ve transitioned to a new career with us, using their previous valuable skills such as resilience and discipline, which are important attributes to have when starting your own business.
Although many find a great deal of satisfaction during their naval career, leaving the services can present the challenge of not knowing how to adapt to working in civvy street, nor how skills and experiences will be recognised and valued outside of the military.
Our Academy provides an exciting opportunity for the right candidates to retrain for a new career as a qualified financial adviser, allowing them to provide a financially stable future for themselves and their families. Throughout the programme and after graduation from the Academy, there is full support from day one – a dedicated Mentor and Business Development Managers are with you every step of the way.
Making the leap from Navigation Officer to a financial planner with St. James’s Place proved incredibly satisfying for former naval Lieutenant, Louise Worrall. Read about her transition from the Navy to becoming a qualified financial planning and wealth management adviser.
Why did you decide to leave the Military and join the Academy?
“I was physically unable to continue in the forces following a serious injury and the subsequent effect that it then had on my health. Consequently, I was medically discharged in August 2017 and in November 2019, I found out the condition was lifelong and incurable. Through dealing with a life-changing medical situation, I knew I needed to be able to work on my own terms. As such, I decided to start a business and the St. James’s Place Academy was the perfect route into finance services, an area that I’d decided I would like to work in.’
What have been your highest and lowest points of the Academy?
“There hasn’t been a high point as such, as I have found the whole journey great. I get to work with people and numbers, doing something I really love, despite my health. It is the best job you could have (other than driving warships!) and I am lucky to be able to do this. The constant fight against my own body has ensured an added struggle and having to work around ongoing hospital appointments has been tough. However, I have always had the support of SJP which has been the factor that has made it possible.”
What have you gained personally or professionally from the Academy?
“I have gained an identity, a purpose and a way forward from what have been the hardest years of my life. I lost the career I had dreamed of since I was a child, but from that I found a new career when I didn’t know if I could ever work constructively again. I have professional qualifications and am now working towards the highly valued Chartered status. SJP gave me more than a ‘job’ or ‘career change’.
Train with a FTSE 100 company that values your ambition and drive – join us at the St. James’s Place Academy.
Visit www.sjp.co.uk/academy for more information
WHAT ATTRACTS royal marines personnel to the St. James’s Place academy?
Our Academy provides an exciting opportunity for the right candidates to retrain for a new career as a qualified financial adviser, allowing them to provide a financially stable future for themselves and their families. Throughout the programme and after graduation from the Academy, there is full support from day one – a dedicated Mentor and Business Development Managers are with you every step of the way.
Making the leap from a Royal Marines officer to financial planner proved incredibly satisfying for, James Knight. Read about his transition to becoming a qualified financial planning and wealth management adviser with St. James’s Place.
Why did you decide to leave the Marines and join the Academy?
“I wanted a different lifestyle for my family. In the Marines, I was moving to a new house every two years and that meant relocating my family and changing schools for the children. I wanted them to be more settled and for me to have more control over my time. The Academy offered me the fantastic opportunity to receive the necessary training in order to qualify as a financial adviser in an environment that allowed me to adjust to my new chosen career.”
What have been your l highest and lowest points since joining the Academy?
“For me, the high point was being able to spend time with people in a classroom and share ideas. I recognise the value of time spent together in a training environment and so this was valuable. I still regularly speak to my classmates to share ideas and get advice. A definite challenge was going back into the classroom and although I absolutely needed the time there, and I utilised it to best effect, it was tough going back into a learning environment. I prefer to learn on the job and completing the Academy was a great achievement for me.”
What have you gained personally or professionally from the Academy?
“Besides the wealth of financial knowledge, I have been very fortunate to work in a diverse environment with people from a wide range of backgrounds. I have also been able to do more of what I love outside of work including rugby, running and spending time with my kids. I have just set up a charity called ‘House a Hero’ where I aim to raise enough money to build a home for homeless veterans, so I will be taking part in various fundraising events to raise money for this cause, which I have found to be incredibly rewarding.”
Train with a FTSE 100 company that values your ambition and drive – join us at the St. James’s Place Academy.
Visit www.sjp.co.uk/academy for more information.
