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More info
- Manage clients' investments, trading stocks, shares and other financial products
- You'll need the ability to understand and analyse complex information
- Progress to become a trader, relationship manager or fund manager
There are 3 levels of service, you may specialise in 1 or offer all 3.
Discretionary - managing all your clients' investments and making decisions on their behalf; Advisory - advising clients about various investment options and Execution only - buying and selling only when clients ask you to, without giving advice.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Research markets and the latest trading figures
- Work closely with investment analysts
- Generate new business and develop close relationships
- Call clients to manage and review their portfolios
- Advise on risks
- Give presentations to clients
- Instruct stock market traders to achieve the best market prices
- Meet profit, new business and retention targets
- Keep up to date with tax and financial legislation
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll work long hours, typically 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. If you work with commodities or Asian markets, your hours may have to fit in with different time zones. You'd usually work in a large, open-plan office, working at the computer and on the telephone.
You'll need
This role would be ideal for someone with the ability to understand and analyse complex information, good maths and IT skills, confidence and decision-making ability under pressure, and foreign language skills, if you want to work with overseas clients and markets.
You could move into stockbroking if you have experience in accountancy, banking or insurance and take further training on the job.
You can apply for a place on a company's graduate training scheme if you have a degree. You'll usually need at least an upper second class degree to apply. Useful subjects include business management, economics, finance and maths. There's a lot of competition for places, so it'll help if you have some relevant work experience. Many graduates also have a postgraduate qualification like a master's in business administration.
Companies sometimes offer summer internships and choose graduate recruits when their degree finishes. They usually recruit graduates through university job fairs.
You may also be able to get into this job through an investment specialist higher apprenticeship or financial services professional degree apprenticeship.
You'll need to be registered as an 'approved person' by the Financial Conduct Authority.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience and a good track record you could progress to become a trader, relationship manager or fund manager. You could also become a partner or set up your own business.