Trainee Financial Adviser

Eight Financial Advice; Winchester; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fantastic support and mentorship from,

28 days' holiday + bank holidays +Your

Private medical insurance

Life assurance (4x salary)

Wellbeing support

Free mortgage and pension advice

Volunteering time: 8 paid hours

Regular socials & epic events

Job summary

Eight Financial Advice invites ambitious individuals to join the Aspiring Adviser Academy at Whiteley, starting 1 April 2027. You will gain technical knowledge, participate in shadowing and development activities, and work toward becoming a Financial Adviser.

This full-time, in-person programme emphasizes relationship building, integrity and client-focused learning, with a clear career pathway into a future advising role starting January 2028.

Qualifications

• Pass R01 and R05 through the CII before the Academy start date.
• Ambitious and commercially minded with a genuine interest in helping others.
• Natural relationship builders with the ability to listen and earn trust.

Responsibilities

• Join a 12-person Aspiring Adviser Academy with structured development.
• Develop technical knowledge and commercial skills alongside experienced advisers.
• Work towards CAS sign-off and prepare for client-facing responsibilities.

Skills

Relationship building

Commercial awareness

Agile learning

Resilience

Organised

Open to feedback

Motivated by people

Tools

CII exams

Job description

Your potential. Our Academy. A career that makes a difference.

Aspiring Adviser | Eight Financial Advice Academy

12 places. One ambitious journey. A chance to build a career that changes lives.

At Eight, we believe financial advice can make a positive difference in people's lives. Behind every financial plan is a person, a family, a future or a dream. Our advisers help people make important decisions with greater confidence — and we're investing in the next generation of people who can do the same.

We're looking for 12 ambitious, people-focused individuals to join our Aspiring Adviser Academy at Whiteley, starting 1 April 2027.

This is an opportunity to build your technical knowledge, develop your commercial skills and learn alongside experienced Financial Advisers, with a structured programme designed to help you work towards a future career in financial advice.

We're not looking for the finished article. We're looking for the potential to become exceptional.

What makes this opportunity different?

From 1 April to 31 December, you'll take part in an intensive, structured development programme combining technical learning, practical experience, departmental insight, adviser shadowing and personal development.

You'll discover how Eight operates, how different teams support advisers and their clients, and what it takes to build trusted relationships and a sustainable advice business.

You'll also get to grips with the technology, tools and processes that help advisers work effectively. There's administration to understand and professional standards to uphold, but you'll learn how our systems and support functions help advisers focus on what matters most: their clients.

Our aim is for you to work towards the required competence and CAS sign-off during the programme, with the goal of being ready to take on your first clients from January 2028. Progression depends on meeting the relevant qualification, competence and approval requirements.

What will you learn?

• The foundations of financial advice: develop your technical understanding and learn how to apply your knowledge in practice.
• The client experience: understand clients' circumstances, listen to their needs and learn how to support positive financial outcomes.
• The business behind the advice: explore the roles of different departments and understand how each contributes to an adviser's effectiveness and client experience.
• Relationship building and business development: develop the confidence and skills to build trust, nurture professional networks and identify appropriate opportunities.
• Technology and innovation: become comfortable with the systems, tools and emerging technology that support modern financial advice.
• Professional judgement: understand the importance of integrity, accuracy, confidentiality, compliance and acting in clients' best interests.
• Your own development: receive feedback, work towards clear objectives and take ownership of your progress.

What you need to know before applying

This is a full-time, in-person programme based at our Whiteley office. You must be able to attend for full working days, Monday to Friday, throughout the programme.

The Academy is an intensive commitment. You'll need to be prepared to learn, participate fully, take responsibility for your development and demonstrate your progress.

The longer-term opportunity is to develop towards working as a self-employed Financial Adviser. This is an important part of the career pathway, and we'll discuss what it means, the expectations involved and the commercial realities openly during recruitment.

We'll also have an open conversation with you about salary and the overall opportunity as part of the process.

Why Eight?

We're a people-focused business with ambitious plans and a belief that investing in people is fundamental to success. We are the largest practice within SJP looking after £5.1bn in FUM and over 20,000 clients.

We have a proven track record of producing successful advisers through our intensive program, supporting the next generation of talent in Financial Advising!

Our values guide how we work:

Build Relationships. Be caring, honest and responsive.

Be Responsible. Take ownership and follow through on commitments.

Be Amazing. Be brave, curious, inclusive and always looking for ways to improve.

You'll be joining a business that wants to develop future talent, values relationships and is committed to helping people reach their potential.

Ready to take the first step?

If you have the ambition and the character to build a career in financial advice, we'd love to hear from you.

Twelve places. A structured development journey. The opportunity to build something for your future — and make a positive difference to others.

Don't just look for your next job. Start building your future.

Requirements

Who will thrive here?

You could already work in financial services and be looking for a route into advice. Or you might come from sales, recruitment, hospitality, customer service or another people-facing profession.

Your background matters less than your potential, provided you meet our essential qualification requirements.

We're looking for people who are:

• Safe but hungry: ambitious and commercially minded, without compromising integrity or the interests of clients.
• Natural relationship builders: able to connect with different people, listen properly and earn trust.
• Agile and curious: comfortable learning new things, adapting to change and embracing technology.
• Resilient under pressure: able to manage competing priorities, learn from setbacks and maintain high standards.
• Organised and accountable: reliable, detail-focused and prepared to take ownership.
• Open to feedback: willing to challenge themselves, reflect and continually improve.
• Motivated by people: genuinely interested in helping others and building a meaningful professional career.

You'll need to have passed both R01 and R05 through the CII before your Academy start date. These are essential requirements. The remaining 4 exams will be funded during your time in the academy.

Benefits

• Fantastic support and mentorship from industry leading advisers to begin your new career
• 28 days' holiday + bank holidays + your birthday off
• Private medical insurance & life assurance (4x salary)
• Wellbeing support: EAP, mental health helpline, cycle-to-work scheme
• Free mortgage and pension advice from our in-house experts
• Volunteering time: 8 paid hours annually via The Eight Foundation
• Regular socials & epic events