Seeing an online post about a financial advice course by chance led to Hannah Peters making the leap from a career in HR.
She was one of the first 10 women to join the We Are Change Programme, a partnership between Nucleus and the Verve Foundation.
A year on from joining the programme, she spoke to FT Adviser about her experience.
Peters admits she had never considered working in finance, despite working closely to it as an analyst in HR, until she unexpectedly saw an Instagram post promoting the programme.
It came at a time she was thinking about her own finances after separating from her partner.
“It kind of came at a good time for me. I was looking at really building a really good strong point with personal finance for myself as well as being a mum.
"I've got a little girl who is three, so I just wanted to learn a lot, so then I could pass that information on to her as well.”
Peters is still working in HR while she does her exams and weighing up different options for her future.
“The dream, if I could get all my exams, would be to start on the financial adviser path,” she said.
“The course really opened up my mind to the profession of financial advice, how you get there and the qualifications you need.
“Working in HR, I love that customer experience, you deal with people all the time.”
The first year of the We Are Change programme provided the funding for 10 women to achieve a level 4 qualification, while a second cohort of women have just started their journey on the course.
The women are supported over two years to get their CII diploma in financial planning through a remote training programme.
Richard Rowney, CEO of Nucleus and Nucleus Foundation trustee, said: “We’re extremely proud that the foundation is now actively supporting 20 women to become financial advisers.
“The Verve Foundation really has proved to be our perfect partner, sharing our vision of tackling the gender imbalance within the industry and helping to train the next generation of financial advisers.”
Peters said having others in the group doing the same exams has been a help alongside the remote learning.
She added: “As someone who is a bit time poor it has been a real help being able to study at home at night, or in the early mornings, wherever I can fit it in around my little girl.
“It has also been really nice getting to meet each other, especially when we're getting to exam time. It’s been helpful being able to jump on calls and talk about it. You can just go through quizzes and speak to others about their experiences.”
