As exam results come out, Abbey Fleming introduces a series of blogs about an exciting career path with the chance to drive real change
Throughout August, Money Advice Scotland is sharing a series of blogs entitled Pathways to Change: Careers in Money Advice to mark Scottish exam results day.
For some people receiving their grades, they will know exactly what they want to do after school, but for many it can be daunting to think of the next steps. Our blog series aims to shine a spotlight on money advice as a career – something that many people may never have heard of.
Pathways to Change tells the stories of those working in the sector whether that’s as a money adviser, in public policy, promoting financial wellbeing and everything in between. The majority of the blogs highlight money advice roles within the third sector and each blog is written by someone currently working in money advice so that you can read in their own words what working in the sector is like and how they got there. Although everyone’s journey into money advice is different, there are some key similarities that come through each blog.
A career that makes a difference
If you want a career where you can help people every day, money advice could be what you’re looking for. Working as a money adviser means helping people manage their debt and supporting them through processes like bankruptcy.
Throughout the blogs, you’ll see how money advisers help improve their clients’ financial situations and alleviate the stress and worry that so often comes with debt. If you want to create positive change on a wider scale, working for a money advice charity in a public policy role might be for you, using evidence and insight to advocate for changes to legislation and policy.
There are various other jobs where you can work with people to improve their overall financial wellbeing too, whether that’s helping school pupils learn about money; speaking to employees about pensions; or working with community groups.
Not about telling people how to spend their money
Many people hear ‘money advice’ and think that working in this sector must mean telling people what to do with their money. That couldn’t be further from the truth. As you’ll see from Pathways to Change, money advisers work to empower, support and advocate for people experiencing financial difficulty, not just tell them what to do. Every client and their circumstances is different, and a big part of the role of a money adviser is to tailor advice accordingly. As our blog series highlights, money advisers carry out their work without judgement. People can find themselves struggling with debt for many reasons, but mainly because their personal circumstances have changed or because of things outside of their control like the rising cost of living.
Varied paths
Read any one of our Pathways to Change blogs and you’ll see that everyone’s path to the money advice sector is different. Unlike other careers where you need to study a certain subject at university, money advice welcomes people from all different backgrounds and experience, and often doesn’t require you to have a degree. If you decide to become a money adviser, you’ll be trained on the job, while other roles in the sector such as public policy are suited to people who have studied public policy or law at university, but there are no set requirements.
Our Pathways to Change: Careers in Money Advice blog series will be shared throughout August on Money Advice Scotland’s website. If you want to know more about working in the money advice sector, feel free to email policy@moneyadvicescotland.org.uk with any questions.
Abbey Fleming is policy and communications lead for Money Advice Scotland
