How Cara Gilbert Achieved the CII Diploma in Financial Planning at 19

Earlier this year, we heard that 19-year-old Cara Gilbert, from Ayrshire, had become the youngest person to achieve the CII’s Diploma in Financial Planning.  As a customer of Brand Financial Training, we were keen to find out about her employment and exam journey, which will also help other exam candidates and new entrants into financial services.

Cara joined Standard Life in Edinburgh as a paid intern via the Edinburgh Guarantee Scheme.  This scheme works with all sectors in Edinburgh to ensure that every young person leaves school with the choice of a job, training or further education opportunity.

We asked Cara about her exam journey to achieving the Diploma in Financial Planning and her future plans.

At what age did you decide financial services was an area you wanted to build a career in?  What made you decide this was the career for you?

I knew that I wanted to work in the financial sector when I was at school. I enjoyed maths, business management and accounting subjects. I heard that Standard Life was offering six-month internships through the Edinburgh Guarantee Scheme for school leavers, and I thought it was a brilliant opportunity to get a taster for what it was like working in the financial sector.

I loved the internship and was delighted when I was offered the opportunity at the end of the internship to continue working as a trainee. Having the opportunity to work towards further qualifications was an important factor in the decision for me to choose work rather than University. 

How did you move your career choice forward?  Did you find it easy to find a position that would support you with your qualifications?

I knew when I was at school that University wasn’t the route into work and further education for me. I knew I would much prefer learning hands on and gaining work experience in a job where I could sit exams and gain qualifications but just learning in a different way from University. It isn’t easy to find school leaver positions, because they are in such high demand. I completed a summer placement at a financial planning firm during the summer holidays while I was at school. I carried out administrative duties and other ad-hoc project work. Having that work experience in the finance industry really helped me when looking for jobs after I left school. 

How did you find working alongside studying?  Were there any major struggles?

Working alongside studying isn’t an easy thing to do, especially when study time is outwith work hours. Although it does help studying for CII exams if you use the knowledge acquired from the study books on a regular basis at work. The main struggle for me was leaving the office after a day’s work and motivating myself to study at night. 

Which of the Diploma exams did you find the easiest?  How did you study for it?

None of the exams are easy, although I was more relaxed about sitting R08 (Pensions Update) than others. This was mainly because the exam is about the pension freedoms. I started training as a technical consultant when the pension freedoms were first introduced; therefore, I was familiar with the legislation before I started studying for R08.

I study for most exams the same way. I read through the book making lots of notes. I then read through the book again before attempting questions. In the lead-up to the exam, most of my study time is spent completing practice papers. I find the practice questions are the best way to discover the areas that need more revision.

Which of the Diploma exams did you find the hardest?  How did you revise for this exam?

I found both R02 and J05 hard for different reasons. R02 (Investment and Risk) was tricky for me, because it was on a subject I was unfamiliar with. I had to study a lot more for it than the other multiple-choice exams. I also found J05 difficult, because it was the first written exam I sat; therefore, I had to spend study time developing my written answers. 

Did you find much support outside of your workplace for your exam studies?

There is a lot of online support from study notes to exam papers and calculation workbooks that really helped me through the exams. I’m also very lucky that my Mum is a Chartered Financial Adviser; therefore, if I struggle to understand something when studying, my Mum is always happy to help explain it to me. 

What are your plans for the future?  Do you plan to achieve Chartered status?

I am continuing to study towards gaining the Advanced Diploma – I would love to achieve Chartered status! 

What are your future career plans?

I’m really enjoying my work at the moment, and there’s still a lot to learn! I am interested in possibly developing into a paraplanning or a financial planner role further in the future.

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Having completed her internship, Cara now works as a trainee technical consultant with Standard Life and is working towards Chartered Status.

Cara has shown great ambition and drive, finding a paid internship as a school leaver, achieving the Diploma at the age of 19 and continuing to study for the Advanced Diploma.  She is a fantastic example of how ‘new blood’ can be attracted to financial services and supported by a company while studying for exams.  The entire team here at Brand Financial Training wish her well with her future studies and career progression.

Grab the resources you need!

If reading about Cara’s achievement has spurred you on to work harder and smarter towards your CII Diploma in Financial Planning, we’ve got downloadable resources to support you. Try out one of Brand Financial Training’s resources for yourself.  Click the link to browse our resources and download a taster straightaway!