Fund management apprentice Review

My daily role is answering any client enquires for the long lease real estate funds, I will ensure clients get the data they require in a timely and efficient manner. I also work on presentations that are presented to current or new investors. This is extremely interesting as you get to learn all about the fund you are working on and knowing that you are creating something for clients who hold lots of money with us is quite exciting.

Prior to this job role my knowledge of the financial world and using excel was rather poor. In the short two months of working with M&G I have learnt so much and my confidence has grown. They have a fantastic career programme where you can access hundreds of tutorials for free.

So far I have really enjoyed the programme. Everyone who works at M&G has been extremely helpful and have encouraged me to learn and grow, I regularly sit down with industry professionals who give me their advice and share their knowledge, this is fundamental for my growth and I like that the people working here are very happy to give me their time.

There is a really great structure to my programme, I have a Mycareer account with M&G where I am set goals and targets as well as have access to a plethora of training programmes that I can use to grow my knowledge in various sectors from technology like Excel and Powerpoint to more financial based courses like an Introduction to bonds etc.

I have received a lot of support in the time I have been here, I regularly have one to ones with my manager who is very eager to see me grow and be happy, she will give me great advice and help me to set goals. I also have monthly meetings with HR who ensure I am enjoying my apprenticeship and encourage me to air any issues I am having although I'm happy to say I haven't had any yet!

I meet with a lovely lady from FWD training consultancy once a month and I also have her email so I can contact her whenever I have any questions. She has been really helpful and always responds quickly if I need any help. In our meetings she will help me with anything I'm struggling on and has given me a very detailed tutorial on how to use the FWD system.

I think the qualification allows me to perform better in my job role as it gives me so much more knowledge around what I am actually doing. Through my revision I've been able to learn more about different parts of the business and where I fit in to see exactly what is needed from me and why.

There are so many social activities with M&G and they create a real sense of community. Something I am looking forward to at the moment is the summer social which will be nice to get everyone together. Team members will often all go out together and will arrange events which is a great chance to network.

Yes

It has been a really positive experience for me working here, I have felt as if I am a true member of the team as they have given me a lot of responsibility already and allowed me to get involved with different things without overwhelming me. I think M&G as a company create a really great work balance and that's something that can be hard to find in the financial sector.

The biggest tip I can give is to be genuine and not overly rehearsed. You have to remember that as an apprentice they are not looking for someone who already has all the knowledge, just someone who is eager to learn. So don't be afraid to ask the questions and even in the interview admit if you don't know something but always let them know you would be interested in finding out more.