Your journey to becoming an Independent Financial Adviser starts here
Welcome to AFH, where our vision is to enrich our clients' lives by providing best-in-class advice and services delivered by our independent financial advisers. With over 200 experienced advisers in the UK, we are committed to caring for our clients over the long term.
Financial advice is in demand
According to Money Marketing in June 2025, 86% of financial advisers believed their client base was likely to increase. While there is an increasing demand for financial advice, the number of advisers in the UK remains comparatively low.
The resulting ‘advice gap’ means many Britons now struggle to receive the professional help they need when dealing with their wealth. This is why it’s more important than ever to attract quality candidates into the world of financial advice, and why we developed our Associate Adviser Programme.
Our aim is to attract the very best people to the sector and provide exceptional training and support to deliver the highest standards of financial guidance.
If you believe you have what it takes to deliver brilliance to our clients, please get in touch.
AFH’s success could provide you with an exciting opportunity
As one of the UK’s largest independent financial advice companies, our success could provide you with an exciting opportunity. We are at an important stage of our continued growth, which means we we’re looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our programme.
Those who are accepted onto it will become an Associate Adviser and enjoy unrivalled levels of support and training from highly experienced professionals. As a result, you’ll enjoy a rewarding career helping our clients fulfil their financial aspirations.
So, if you’re someone who strives to deliver excellence, please read on.
Four important roles of a financial adviser:
creating a long-term financial plan to help clients achieve their aspirations
ensure their client’s wealth is as tax-efficient as possible
develop strategies that allow clients to pass more of their estate on to loved ones
protect income and other assets from unexpected and unwanted life events.
We’ll help you unlock your potential
At AFH, we believe in nurturing talent so that we can build a team of highly skilled professionals. As one of the UK’s most successful independent advice companies, we’ve developed our Associate Adviser Programme to help aspiring individuals unlock their potential.
Our 18-month programme will help you to develop the technical and personal skills you’ll need to become a highly successful Independent Financial Adviser. We’ll provide in-depth training covering every aspect of financial planning, so that you’ll have the confidence and the knowledge to provide excellent advice to those you work with.
The programme follows our six-step advice process, so you'll be confident in taking clients through the same journey when you start working with them. In addition to this, we’ll help you to develop your soft skills so that you can build stronger professional relationships with clients over the long term.
Better still, our support doesn’t stop there. When you become a financial adviser, our Advice Support Team will provide regular training to keep you up to date with the latest industry knowledge
We’ll ensure your career gets off to the right start
With many UK financial advisers approaching retirement, there is a growing need for talented new professionals who can build trusted, long‑term relationships with clients and continue delivering high‑quality advice. By attracting exceptional candidates, we can ensure our clients enjoy ongoing financial security and peace of mind.
A carefully designed programme
Level 4 qualification in regulated financial advice
Delivered by our partner provider, Davies Group, our in-depth programme will help you to achieve your Level 4 qualification in regulated financial advice. Furthermore, our programme is a government approved apprenticeship in Financial Planning, meaning you’ll receive the highest standards in tutoring and support.
You’ll also be given the time you need to study and prepare for your exams, which will maximise your chances of gaining your qualifications in a timely manner.
Being an excellent financial adviser is about what you do and how you do it. At AFH, we offer a supportive and rewarding career for advisers who understand this, and truly care about their clients.
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Gemma's story
With a successful career in medical sales, Gemma didn’t see herself following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a financial adviser. However, that changed when she began to understand how investments worked while planning her own financial future.
“Helping people is a key driver for me,” she says, “and I realised that my interest in finance and my desire to help people could be brought together as an adviser.”
Gemma also knew that starting on a self-employed basis would be difficult. Building up a client base from scratch takes time and can be stressful, which is why she was keen to work for an established financial advice company that could provide clients but also shared her commitment to excellence. But being provided with clients wasn’t the only consideration.
“For me, it was important to get the right level of training so that I would be able to offer high-quality advice to my clients,” she explains.
“That’s why I chose the AFH Associate Adviser Programme, as it allowed me to obtain my qualifications while learning how the role actually works. One way this was made possible was by placing me in different departments so that I could understand the processes involved behind the scenes.” This, together with the ability to attend client meetings with experienced advisers, allowed Gemma to understand the adviser’s role in practical terms.
“Because of this, I didn’t start out as an adviser with all the right qualifications but no idea of how to apply the knowledge.”
As a result, Gemma is now enjoying her role every bit as much as she hoped she would. “I enjoy the job most when clients thank me because my input has helped them, something the programme helped to make happen,” she adds.
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Grace's story
After completing her Business Management (Hons) degree at the University of South Wales, Grace returned home still unsure which career path to take. She’d always wanted a role with purpose and the chance to help others - at one stage even considering training as a therapist, but wasn’t sure it was the right long‑term fit.
Joining AFH in 2023 as an Integration Administrator was her first introduction to financial services. It was only after attending an open morning with the People Development team, learning more about the adviser role and the impact it has on clients, that she realised this was the direction she wanted to pursue.
“Financial advice brings together everything I enjoy—supporting people, problem-solving, and helping others feel more confident about their future,” she reflects.
While waiting for a place on the Associate Adviser Programme, Grace passed her R01 exam and joined the course in May 2025. She has since passed three more exams and is now halfway through the programme. She credits the mix of structured learning, practical experience, and exposure to different departments for helping her develop quickly.
“The course doesn’t just teach the theory—it shows you how to apply it,” she says. “Understanding what happens behind the scenes and learning directly from experienced professionals has been invaluable.”
Grace also values the support she has received from her course lead, Fiona Jolly, and senior leaders, including opportunities to work with Austin Broad (Chief Advice Officer) and Khalid Rehman (Head of Advice Support). “The support has been incredible. It genuinely feels like everyone wants you to succeed.”
For Grace, the programme is the start of a meaningful and rewarding career—one where she can grow while helping clients feel empowered about their financial futures.
“I see this course as the gateway to a future I’m excited about,” she says. “Knowing that the work I’ll do will help people is what motivates me every day.”