From Apprentice to Fully Qualified Financial Adviser: Timon’s Milestone Story

Agricultural graduate and former grain trader, Timon White, joined the MPA Financial Management team in June 2021 amid the global pandemic. Since then, he has completed his journey from trainee to fully qualified Financial Adviser, now proudly advising MPA’s clients.

On graduating from university, Timon spent 12 months as a grain trader, dealing in wheat and barley. He decided this wasn’t the career path for him and contacted MPA for work experience, after a recommendation from family members.

The work experience wasn’t meant to be, due to the challenges presented by COVID, however, after a chat with Phil McGovern, Timon was offered an apprenticeship as a trainee Financial Adviser in June 2021.

Timon explains: “It was a little weird when I first started as most people were working from home and some were on furlough, so it was a while before I was able to meet everyone in person. However, everyone is great and have been integral in aiding my professional and personal development within the financial industry.

“Phil suggested that I did the apprenticeship. He is hugely supportive of training and development and I really appreciated the opportunity to get involved in all parts of the business. I’ve really enjoyed learning about every element of the financial industry including investments, trusts, bonds and taxes. What really peaked my interest was gaining a deeper understanding of how to protect people’s investments.”

Before qualifying as a Financial Adviser through passing industry exams alongside MPA’s Financial Adviser Trainee Programme, Timon has been worked both in our Client Services Team and most recently, as a highly-skilled Paraplanner, gaining vital experience in the central engine of the MPA office by mastering the processes and research. He also provided a wealth of support with new business processing along with pitches from investment platforms and new potential partners.

Timon’s apprenticeship included studying for (and passing!) the Chartered Institute of Insurance (CII) Diploma in Financial Planning. The Diploma involved sitting six exams covering financial services, regulation and ethics, investment principles and risk, personal taxation, pensions and retirement planning, as well as financial protection and planning practice.

Timon comments:

“I am over the moon that I achieved CII level 6 while working across various departments here at MPA, where I gained invaluable experience and exposure to every step of the numerous processes we have in place to ensure all clients experience the utmost level of service and advice. It’s continues to be a privilege to work alongside such talented and experienced colleagues here at MPA — that’s a real highlight for me.
“MPA offer financial support for employees wishing to further their career and professional development through taking professional exams, and the continual in-house training provides support throughout the journey. Through general case studies and explaining terms and concepts, we gain real-life experience that is incredibly valuable. MPA also enable trainees to have time off for exams and studying, which is very motivating when working to progress in the industry.”

Now a fully qualified Financial Adviser, Timon draws on the breadth of experience he gained across the business, from paraplanning to new business processing, to provide clients with well-rounded, thoroughly grounded advice. While he remains open to discovering where his specialisms may lie as his career progresses, his focus today is on building lasting relationships with MPA’s clients and helping them achieve their financial goals.

When asked if he would recommend an apprenticeship at MPA as a route to becoming a financial adviser, Timon concludes:

“Absolutely. However, it’s not for the faint hearted. It can be long hours with the additional studying alongside a very busy day job, plus the exams on top are challenging, but it is well worth it. The MPA team as a whole are such brilliant people and have really taken me under their wing, from apprentice to now fully-fledged Financial Adviser. It is the first job I’ve walked into and thought it was a professional and welcoming environment, not a wolf pit. People genuinely want to help enable other colleagues, of all ages and experience, to achieve their true potential.”

For more information about working at MPA Financial Management, visit our careers page.