The programme typically lasts between 12-18 months, depending on individual progress. If you don’t already hold a Level 4 advice qualification, you will be advising clients within 6 months. If you already Level 4 qualified, you will be advising clients within 3 months.

No, our Academy is a full-time commitment, giving you all the skills, knowledge, and experience you need to change careers and become a successful financial adviser.

We run Academy intakes on a monthly basis.. Once selected, you will be invited to join one of our cohorts at the earliest opportunity. We can accommodate your own timescales and needs (e.g. if you need to give notice on your current role).

Yes, you will be guaranteed a role before you begin the training. Before starting our Academy, we will help you to decide whether building your own business or joining one of the 2,500+ established businesses in our Partnership is right for you. If you would like to join one of our established businesses, we will help you to find the right one before you join, meaning you can train with confidence.

We believe the St. James’s Place Financial Adviser Academy has 3 key differentiators:

Track Record – we’ve helped over 1,000 individuals to change careers and become successful advisers since we launched the Academy in 2012. Our Academy is the longest and most successful training programme of its kind in the financial advice sector. We help individuals with no prior experience of giving advice to become successful financial advisers; 63% of our graduates are from non-financial backgrounds.

Unrivalled Support – we have over 2,000 employees to support our advisers to develop successful careers or businesses within our Partnership. In the Academy alone, we have over 100 employees in specialist management teams delivering targeted, tailored support and consultancy to each new adviser.

Quality of Training – our programme is market-leading and has won several awards, including Money Marketing’s Financial Adviser Academy of the Year in 2023. Our programme is split into four terms and gives you the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become a financial adviser. Benefiting from the learnings taken from over a decade’s experience in training advisers, our expert programme teams have designed a first-class curriculum, incorporating cutting-edge technology and the latest learning and development techniques.

No, there is no minimum or maximum age limit. As an ‘Academy for All’, we welcome applications from all individuals.

We like to refer to the Academy as a ‘blended’ learning experience, meaning some modules are completed virtually, whilst others may require you to be in one of our 22 regional office locations based around the UK. We invite individuals from any geographical location to apply.

If you already hold a level 4 Financial Advice qualification, then you will not need to complete a further qualification to complete the programme.

To give advice in the UK, you are required to hold a Level 4 Financial Advice qualification. If you don’t hold one of these already, then you’ll start your Academy journey in Term 1 to obtain this qualification. We work with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), to provide you with their Level 4 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning (DipPFS).

If you already hold one of the below qualifications, you will effectively bypass Term 1 and begin your Academy journey in Term 2:

CII’s Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning (DipPFS)

LIBF’s Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA)

CISI’s Investment Advice Diploma (IAD)*

*You also must have attained the Financial Planning & Advice unit or equivalent e.g Retail Advice and Planning, Private Client Advice.

If you hold a relevant qualification that isn’t listed above, please contact us.

People on our Academy gain a qualification in 3-6 months on average. Our pass rates are over 85%, which is 20% higher than the wider industry average.'

Yes, you can. Term 1 of our programme helps individuals to secure a Level 4 advice qualification. If you already have a Level 4 qualification, you can start our programme in ‘Term 2’, where we train you to advise clients.

As the largest financial adviser training programme in the UK, we have the capacity to train up to 500 individuals a year.

No, you do not. Our training programme is fully funded by St. James’s Place. To be accepted onto the programme, you will need to have completed R01 and R05. However, we will reimburse you for these exams once you are selected.

Yes, we provide additional financial support while you are training and as you start your career as a financial adviser.

After completing the training, you will have the option to launch your own financial advice business as a self-employed business owner or join one of the 2500+ established businesses in our Partnership.

Our Partnership opportunities come with different remuneration packages and we can help to find the right practice for you based on your needs.

Becoming a financial adviser is a highly rewarding career from both a financial and non-financial perspective.

If you build your own financial advice business with us, you can also build capital value. With our ‘Business Sale and Purchase’ model, we have created over £1.6bn of capital value for business owners in our Partnership.