Pensions adviser
Pensions consultant
Pensions advisers help people to plan for financial security in retirement.
Salary Range: £22,000 to £80,000
How to become a pensions adviser
You can get into this job through:
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
- a graduate training scheme
Apprenticeship
You can get into this job through a higher apprenticeship as a financial adviser, specialising in pensions, or as a financial services professional, specialising in workplace pensions.
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
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Work
You could start as a pensions administrator or financial customer service adviser. You would do qualifications while you work to move into an adviser role. Qualifications are offered by the Pensions Management Institute and the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Direct application
You can apply to companies directly if you have experience in finance or sales. GCSEs or A levels in English and maths would also be helpful.
Employers will offer you extra training in their pensions products when you start.
Other routes
If you have a degree you may be able to join a pension company’s graduate trainee scheme to become an adviser.
More information
Registration
- you’ll need to register as an ‘approved person’ by the Financial Conduct Authority
Professional and industry bodies
You can join the Pensions Management Institute for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
Further information
You can find out more about becoming a pensions adviser from Pension Careers.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You’ll need:
- customer service skills
- knowledge of economics and accounting
- maths knowledge
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- sensitivity and understanding
- persistence and determination
- analytical thinking skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
What you’ll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- managing client relationships, or finding new business
- calculating the value of pension funds
- issuing regular statements to pension scheme members
- answering enquiries from scheme members
Working environment
You could work in an office or from home.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could specialise in a particular type of pension, become a pensions manager, or move into other types of financial advice.
You could also become a self-employed pensions consultant.