Financial Services Sales Program, Internship

Northwestern Mutual; California (MO); On-site; USD 1,000 - 3,000; Part time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual offers a paid 12-week Financial Services Sales Program for students to explore a career as a Northwestern Mutual Financial Representative. You’ll gain hands-on client experience, develop foundational sales and relationship-building skills, and explore an entrepreneurial advisory path.

As an independent contractor, you’ll learn about financial planning, earn commissions on sales, and prepare to pursue a full-time advisor role after graduation.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled full-time in college (juniors and seniors preferred).
• Interested in financial planning, business development, entrepreneurship, or sales.
• Able to independently manage priorities, responsibilities, and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Develop Career-Ready Skills Through Real Experience: Build communication, sales, relationship-building, and business development skills through hands-on training, coaching, mentorship, and real client interactions.
• Learn How to Help Clients Plan for What Matters: Gain exposure to Northwestern Mutual's planning approach and learn how insurance, investments, retirement planning, and other solutions can help clients achieve financial security.
• Explore an Entrepreneurial Career with Clarity: Get experience learning how business development, client relationships, accountability, and compensation contribute to long-term success.

Skills

Communication

Sales

Relationship-building

Business development

Education

Undergraduate student (juniors/seniors)

Job description

For over 165 years, we have helped our clients spend their lives living through comprehensive and innovative financial planning. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to give our clients the ability to successfully navigate their financial lives. Our tailored, integrated approach includes multiple financial strategies—insurance, investments, and annuities—built to reinforce each other, keeping our clients consistently on track to meet goal after goal. We lead with unmatched financial strength and access to the best products and services for our clients. We value an inclusive workplace where everyone’s unique viewpoints bring new successes. We strive to create teams that reflect our customers and communities, fostering an environment where all employees are welcomed, valued, and heard.

About the Role

The Financial Services Sales Program is a paid, 12-week early-career experience where students have an opportunity to explore the path to becoming a Northwestern Mutual Financial Representative. Through comprehensive training, personalized coaching, mentorship, and real client-facing experience, you'll develop foundational sales, relationship-building, and communication skills while exploring whether an entrepreneurial advisor career is right for you. In this hands-on program, you'll operate as an independent contractor, learning how financial advisors help clients navigate important financial decisions by understanding their goals, identifying their needs, and creating personalized financial plans. You can build a go-to-market strategy and business plan, learn how advisors conduct client conversations about financial goals and needs, and understand how they help guide individuals toward solutions tailored to their needs. Along the way, you'll see how advisors earn trust, develop lasting client relationships, and recommend insurance, investment, and wealth solutions that support a client's broader financial goals. Unlike many traditional internships, this program is built around real responsibility and practical application. You'll learn through experiencing and doing, not just observing. Our goal is to provide a depth of experience that helps you build valuable professional skills, understand what it takes to grow a business, and make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. By the end of the program, you'll have a clearer understanding of the advisor career path and the opportunity to determine whether it's the right fit for your future.

Responsibilities

• Develop Career-Ready Skills Through Real Experience: Build communication, sales, relationship-building, and business development skills through hands-on training, coaching, mentorship, and real client interactions.
• Learn How to Help Clients Plan for What Matters: Gain exposure to Northwestern Mutual's planning approach and learn how insurance, investments, retirement planning, and other solutions can help clients achieve financial security.
• Explore an Entrepreneurial Career with Clarity: Get experience learning how business development, client relationships, accountability, and compensation contribute to long-term success.

What You'll Do

• In the Financial Services Sales Program, you'll:
• Develop foundational sales skills through hands-on client interactions, including hosting discovery conversations to understand their priorities and goals.
• Build a market of potential clients through prospecting, personal connections, referrals, and new relationships.
• Learn about Northwestern Mutual's holistic financial planning approach and how advisors develop recommendations across insurance, investments, retirement, and other financial decisions.
• Work alongside experienced financial advisors through mentorship and joint work opportunities.
• Secure required Life, Accident & Health insurance licensing.

By completing the available training in this program, including holding the College Agent’s Contract, meeting licensing requirements, building your network, conducting discovery conversations, participating in client planning activities, applying coaching feedback, and engaging in business development, you will be better positioned for success in this program or whatever career you may choose.

How Compensation Works

Compensation is tied to completing sales- and business-focused program activities, including conducting financial discovery conversations and learning how advisors prepare personalized recommendations. Additional compensation takes the form of commissions from eligible sales. Here's how it works:

• You can earn up to $3,000 during the program based on completing sales and business development activities.
• You also have the opportunity to earn commissions from sales.
• There is no salary or hourly compensation.

Qualifications

Who This Early-Career Program Is For We're looking for students who are:

• Currently enrolled full-time in college (juniors and seniors preferred).
• Interested in learning about financial planning, business development, entrepreneurship, or sales.
• Comfortable building relationships and starting conversations with others.
• Motivated by personal growth and professional development.
• Able to independently manage priorities, responsibilities, and accountability.
• Curious about exploring the financial representative career through direct experience rather than observation alone.

Eligible participants may be considered for a full-time financial representative role following graduation. Participants may also be considered for another role within their local network office.

Pay range and compensation package

Compensation: Up to $3,000 in activity-based pay, plus commission on sales. There is no salary or hourly compensation.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We value an inclusive workplace where everyone’s unique viewpoints bring new successes. We strive to create teams that reflect our customers and communities, fostering an environment where all employees are welcomed, valued, and heard.