Collections advisor Review

My role is a collections advisor and I speak with customers on a daily basis and have to go through an income and expenditure form with them. I have to see if they have affordability and therefore agree a repayment plan with them. I speak with customers that are in financial difficulty.

I have not learnt any new skills or developed any existing skills as I am only reading a textbook. I am studying the textbook but I already have this skill from previously studying three A level subjects. I have exercised this skill but I feel it is already very well developed due to having to use this skill during school and college.

I do not enjoy the programme as I feel I am educated to A level standard, therefore studying another subject equivalent to A level standard is not going to benefit me, I feel I should be extending my education level and not staying at the same level. The programme would be very good for someone that isn't A level educated or wanted to further their education at the same level. I enjoy the programme and what it entails but it would benefit me if it was a higher education level.

It is structured well - my apprenticeship uses Tessello. There is a module for me to complete monthly and I know exactly what I have to do. I have to do some tasks monthly and add to them to view my progress and monitor the tasks I am doing. My talent coach is very organised and the programme is simple due to this.

I do not receive support from my employer at all. My manager does not understand the programme as it has never been done before. My manager speaks with my talent coach in order to submit a learner progress review at the end of every month but if I have questions, I am directed to my talent coach and I am not advised by my manager.

I receive excellent support from my talent coach [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions]. She catches up with me every month and when she visits, it is always positive. Her feedback is constructive. The modules to complete on Tessello are simple and the textbook sets out for me exactly what I have to study. I receive a lot of support from my training provider.

I feel that my qualification does not help me perform better in my role as I could have applied for this job without going through the apprenticeship scheme. My job role would be the same without the apprenticeship. It does not make me perform any better and is kept separate from my actual job role.

Yes, there are activities in the weekly communications sent out to the whole of collections. There are volunteering activities that are issued monthly. There are also tournaments for football and other sports. There are regular social activities regarding the Pride network where we will socialise and discuss Pride. There are professional networking events too.

Yes

The support is excellent, I have been coached on my calls to a very high standard. The feedback is constructive and useful for me to improve my calls and deliver for the customer. I am supported very well in my role and there are opportunities for progression within the workplace HSBC.

Make sure that it is something that you want to do, the collections advisor role is difficult and you will struggle if you don't have empathy. Empathy is a key skill in speaking with customers as they can hear how you are speaking. You need to want to help the customer and understand the procedures and work by them.