Hi there, I’m Will Salmon and I’m proud to have recently joined BTS as a Candidate Support and Business Development Adviser!
I’ve been in the Financial Services industry for nearly 5 years (so far!) with all of that time having been spent at Aviva, which was a fantastic place to start in the industry.
I got into Financial Services by accident (everyone says the same!!) I am a ‘career changer’ having previously worked for ten years in the water industry – I used to spend my days driving round in a van changing water meters and data loggers. Part of my job was to test new technology and occasionally promote new initiatives at industry trade events, where I really enjoyed meeting different people and sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm, transferable skills which I’m sure will serve me well at BTS.
Where the financial services industry is so broad, there are loads of different types of roles which suit people with various different skills. There are regulated qualification pathways you can follow to help you get into many of these jobs, although a lot people don’t know where to start which is why I’m so excited to help future exam candidates understand how to get started, as part of my new role here at BTS.
I’m passionate about lifelong learning. I previously completed an Open University degree in Environmental Studies as a part-time student, becoming a graduate at the ripe old age of 31, the first in my family to do so. In my time with Aviva, I held several customer-facing roles focused on Pensions and Equity Release. These roles included lots of admin work, checking and adding Letters of Authority (LOAs), for example.
My curiosity about the financial advice industry grew, prompting me to self-study for the CII R01 unit, after a conversation with an IFA about training routes. I became a self-funded candidate and successfully passed R01 and R05 on my first attempts using the BTS Study Guide and App. I really enjoyed using the BTS resources (and still do!)
Passing my first R0 units opened doors within Aviva to more advanced roles, including training and developing new team members—a role that I really enjoyed.
My final role as a Customer Relationship Manager involved working much more closely with Financial Advisers, nurturing customers and generating leads – which I became quite good at. The best thing about it was that I was invited to observe a fair few client fact finds, which I really enjoyed because I found that I was able to use lot of the CII exam knowledge I’d gained so far to help my understanding, plus it gave me great inspiration to continue progressing.
It also helped to confirm that I was on the right track career wise because it was so interesting to learn about different customer’s circumstances and see how financial advice would be of great help to them. It was a real opportunity to ‘apply’ my learning, which of course is something we need to be able to do in the exams.
Outside of my busy life working and studying, I love to travel and I was excited to visit South Korea this summer, which was an amazing experience! They have a very famous K-pop band, what was their name again…
Prior to joining the firm I always found BTS to be a fantastic company to deal with. As an individual candidate, they were always quick to respond to e-mails and were happy to give me guidance and advice on how to approach my studies. They were honest and approachable and they struck me at the time of being a fantastic group of people. Having now worked with them for a while and also met other members of the team I can say that I was right! They are a great bunch and share my enthusiasm for the industry and passing exams.
In addition to creating superb study materials and supporting individuals with exams, they also support financial advice firms with training academies and recruitment, which is something I am really looking forward to getting involved with. I’ve already had some very interesting introductory meetings with some of the firms that BTS support with Digital Academies and there are loads of initiatives in the industry at the moment to aid recruitment and training. After my first couple of weeks I can see BTS sit at the heart of that, which is really exciting.
Thinking a little more about studies, I’ve always been a fan of comprehensive study materials which also give a good understanding as to ‘why’ something is the case. It’s likely if you are reading this that you have used a CII study guide before and although we all hugely respect them as an awarding body, their materials are more like reference manuals.
BTS’s guides are great because they include background information on the industry and they explain complex concepts in different ways, such as using diagrams and images. They also like to inject humour into their regularly updated materials which helps keep things interesting!
It doesn’t make the exam on the day any easier though, they are all tough to pass in my opinion and it’s a fantastic achievement each time you do, so huge well done if you have passed one recently! I’ve spoken to many colleagues who have told me that using BTS materials gave them more confidence in taking an exam and have gone onto pass units which they were finding difficult.
With my own studies, I’m proud of how far I have come. I have completed four of the six R0 units for the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning now, I’ve just got R03 and R06 to go. I am hopeful to have the Diploma in early 2025 (all being well!) and beyond that I also want to complete the Certificates in Mortgage Advice and Equity Release, all of which will complement my work experience so far, very nicely!
I bring my enthusiasm and rapport building skills to my role at BTS. My own experience being a former (and current) BTS candidate allows me to put myself in the shoes of candidates, many of whom I have already started to speak to. I’m pleased to help them where I can and am amazed by their dedication and commitment. I feel I can really be a great help to them as they progress on the same journey as I am on.
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or get in touch with BTS directly – I am really looking forward to working with you.
For more information on the different roles within the Financial Services industry, including qualifications, exams and salary information, check out the Role Profiles page, which includes details on a Business Development Manager role.
View Our R0 Exams overview/toolkits to purchase any of the R0 Study support including Study Guides, e-Learning modules, online workshops and study buddy.
Read another insightful article on changing careers within financial services ‘Discovering your potential as a Financial Adviser: Are you ready?’ to find out more information what it takes to change roles within the industry.
