Agricultural graduate and former grain trader, Timon White, joined the MPA Financial Management team in June 2021 in the midst of the global pandemic.

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 are always helping me learn.

“Phil McGovern suggested that I did the apprenticeship. He is hugely supportive of training and development. I can get involved in all parts of the business. I really enjoy learning about new things such as investments, trusts, bonds and taxes and understanding how to protect people’s investments.”

In his role as a trainee financial adviser at MPA, Timon is currently supporting two other Advisers, so that he can gain some experience in the back-office processes completed by our Administration Team and is part of the team involved with CRP, MPA’s centralised retirement proposition. He also provides support with new business processing, and beauty parades with investment platforms and new potential partners.

The apprenticeship is expected to run for two years and includes studying for the Chartered Institute of Insurance (CII) Diploma in Financial Planning. The Diploma involves 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: “All being well I’m hoping to have achieved CII level 6 in a couple of years, with any luck by the middle of 2023. Being new to the industry there is a lot to take in and it can sometimes be complex to understand, however MPA supports us in our professional development. Getting to know the great people at MPA has been a highlight.

“MPA also pay for the training and support us through the journey, providing general case studies, explaining terms and concepts, plus they enable us to have time off for exams and studying.”

Still early days in his career, Timon is not sure yet if he wants to specialise in a specific area within financial services, however he is focused on his goal of becoming a qualified financial adviser and can’t wait to start advising MPA’s clients.

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 a doddle. It can be long hours when you add studying on top of learning on the job and trying to pass exams, but well worth it. They are such brilliant people and have really taken me under their wing. It is the first job I’ve walked in and thought it was a nice environment, not a wolf pit, people genuinely want to help you get to your best position.”

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