You may notice some changes to the look and feel of our websites and platforms over the coming weeks. Everything will continue to work as normal while we make these updates.
The rules and guidance set out in the FCA’s training and competence regime states that firms must review employee competence and training needs regularly and must also look at the skills, expertise, technical knowledge and behaviour of their employees in practice. A diverse and inclusive training program can be an instrumental way of creating a welcoming environment at work. It’s also a way to improve employee satisfaction, retention and productivity.
“We recognise that the financial sector has taken steps forward on diversity and inclusion. But there is much more that needs to be done to create truly diverse and inclusive organisations that meet the diverse needs of those we serve.”
DP21/2: Diversity and inclusion in the financial sector – working together to drive change (fca.org.uk)
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) should feature highly on your corporate agenda but before you can truly endorse this, you need to ensure it’s embedded into your learning and development strategy too. Why?
D&I helps to shape your business, and employee training is no exception. Inclusive learning means that all employees get EQUAL opportunities in developing their skills and growing within the organisation.
People have a variety of needs and perspectives. And that’s why our Digital Academies are perfect. A Digital Academy allows you as a business to offer equal training opportunities to all. Our modern learning management system and training platforms have features that help to build this type of inclusive learning.
“Good practice in qualifications and training looks like this:
DP21/2: Diversity and inclusion in the financial sector – working together to drive change (fca.org.uk)
– Having a training plan for the forthcoming year, with time scheduled in advance for training events.
– Encouraging advisers to obtain higher qualifications and improve their knowledge and skills.
– Discussing complex cases in recorded training events.
– Using a variety of training and assessment methods for developing competence, such as: sitting a relevant mock exam, product and market training, and practical training, such as mock sales interviews
– Ensuring appropriate examinations get taken and passed within a reasonable timescale.
– Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of training.”
The FCA have clear guidelines in regard to training and have said “We want to ensure that any training is meaningful, not seen as a ‘tick box’ exercise and leads to change” [Source: DP21/2: Diversity and inclusion in the financial sector – working together to drive change (fca.org.uk)]
Our Digital Academy package offers self-paced learning to fit individual schedules and learning preferences. With various content types such as:
your candidates have access to the flexibility and support they need to develop and grow within your business.
You will also have access to MI reporting tools so that you can measure progress and measure the return on your investment. Firms that are focused on diversity and inclusion as a talent retention strategy could translate the results of their investment on staff retention into cost savings.
A quality training programme can help to maintain an inclusive workplace by ensuring your employees have access to the best learning encompassing a range of methods such as e-Learning, articles and quizzes, exam style question practice as well as on-line training sessions. Combined with more individually tailored methods, such as study plans and student focussed forums.
Our Academy content is both broad and deep. Providing knowledge, exam technique and skills-based training that focuses on soft skills such as communicating and listening, essential skills for any would-be adviser!
We are celebrating the success of one of our Academy cohorts who all sat and passed R04 first time round!
A combination of all their hard work and effort, plus the BTS R04 materials and support. We could not be more delighted for them.
We will work alongside you to identify training programmes beneficial for your organisation, identifying the learning needs that align with the your D&I strategy by conducting an initial scoping exercise. From here we can establish the aims of the learning, what’s driving the need, who the intended audience are and what the key learning points to be achieved are.
Our aim is to ensure that training – whether mandatory or not – is not seen as merely a tick box exercise, limiting the impact of the training, but that it’s as immersive and as enjoyable as possible!
Curiosity about what BTS do and how we do it is always appreciated, and it gives us a chance to showcase our amazing resources and support! Email us with some times and dates that you, and anyone on your team who’d like to join, are available and once we have that information, we can arrange a calendar invite. Alternatively, if you would like to have a free 7-day trial access to our LMS system we can arrange that too 😊
In these webinars we are going to walk you through how best to prepare for that upcoming R06 or AF exam. Where you can learn about the key things to do and the key things to avoid if you want to up the odds for a successful outcome.
The BTS technical team will run an introduction webinar to support you with all aspects of your studies. From exploring the syllabus to preparing for your exams, these friendly webinars are designed for you to get some tips from the experts and put your studies on track for success.
If you’re wondering: where and how do I start? Then these webinars are for you. So, before you decide which provider’s textbook to purchase make you sure you get booked up to get you off to the best possible start.
ℹ️ Not every topic is examined to the same extent. So where do you need to direct your studying efforts? What are the questions that come up? What are the key core parts of the syllabus?
ℹ️ We will show you in advance where the majority of your efforts should be focused, allowing you to plan out your study time more effectively
ℹ️ You are the only one who will know your capacity and how much time you have to dedicate to your studies. Being clear about your objectives and creating a focused study plan will be vital because ultimately you are the one in the driving seat
ℹ️ How do you allow for those ‘curveballs’? What can and does go wrong? How can you stay in control when things go belly up?
These kickstart webinars are designed to get you on the front foot in relation to what your study plan could look like, to give you some key hints and tips on the exam unit, to provide a study track for you to run on to put you in the best position to get that longed for first time pass.
We will be posting the links to these webinars in the relevant exam forums on our Careers Zone so that you can book your space.
We look forward to you joining us!
Taking that next step in your career in financial services is about to get a whole lot easier with our BTS Careers Zone.
The Careers Zone is a new, free resource developed by the team at BTS to help people come together and contribute their expertise to build and promote careers within financial services.
Some BTS students are new to the industry, others are returning to financial services having had some timeout and some are looking to change their roles or sub-sectors.
Whatever the story, we are proud to be a trusted source of advice and privileged to have watched many individuals blossom, thrive and succeed.
Helping people achieve their professional goals is one of our passions here at BTS. Many students tell us that their reason for embarking on a path of study is to grow professionally. They also want to get the most out of their careers by building their knowledge base and corresponding skill set to progress on their chosen path.
Sounds easy right? It really isn’t. It takes grit, determination, motivation and sometimes even failure to get us to where we want to be. Professional growth is key to enhancing your skills. It is also crucial for the future of the sector.
That’s why BTS has developed the Careers Zone, an online portal packed with information, study plans, advice, and access to opportunities to support people working in, or looking to get into, financial services.
We have included detailed study plans for CII exams, role profiles from professionals working in the industry, answers to FAQs and a featured companies area for you to find out about career opportunities.
Our network of experts help and support you by sharing knowledge and expertise in regular articles, videos and podcasts.
We have also added our student-led forums, a safe space for you to chat to other candidates about all things study and exam related.
If you already have a BTS account, you will have immediate access to the Careers Zone via your existing login – just click the blue Careers Zone button in the top right of the page. If you don’t already have a BTS account, you’ll need to register on the BTS website before you can access the fantastic industry related content. Create an account or Login here.
We are delighted to share that the good people at the PFS Insurance Institutes of Leicester and Nottingham have awarded a number of subsidised places on the BTS AF exams workshops.
AF5 – 4 subsidised spaces for Leicester members and 2 subsidised spaces for Nottingham members.
AF1 – 4 subsidised spaces for Leicester members.
AF7 – 4 subsidised spaced for Leicester members.
If you are a member of the PFS Insurance Institute of Leicester or Nottingham, please contact us before booking your space to receive a discount coupon giving you £100 off the full workshop cost.
Subsidised spaces are available on a first come, first served basis with a limited number available.
If you are unsure whether you are a member of the Institute of Leicester / Nottingham, you can check your affiliation here: www.thepfs.org/membership/member-search/
Head over to the events page to see the full list of workshop dates available for the AF exams Events BTS
BTS are running a full programme of support for each sitting of AF1, AF5 and AF7 in 2023. Find out more about our AF study plans on the BTS toolkits pages:
AF1 | Personal Tax and Trust Planning
In this latest webinar collaboration, BTS chat to Lewis Byford from Antony George Recruitment about the CII level 6 Advance Diploma in Financial Planning as a possible next step for those who have completed their R0 exams.
Catch up on the recording from the webinar below to find out more, including:
• What is the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning?
• How do you achieve Chartered status?
• What are the AF / J0 papers like?
• What routes can you take through the advanced papers? (Are some easier than others??)
• Timescales, key dates, exam sittings for 2023.
• What to expect from the level 6 study.
Are you thinking about the next steps after the R0 exams?
If you’re considering taking a Level 6 advanced exam in 2023, now is the time to start planning!
Is advanced study right for you? This webinar covers some essential information to help you make wise unit choices, prepare for what’s expected of level 6 study, and get your calendar set up to smash your 2023 study goals.
Watch now!
BTS are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new AF5 exam support. We are well known for ourR0 exam expertise we are often asked whether we support the Advanced exams, and now we do! Our in-house technical experts have been working hard this year to develop fresh, relevant, and effective study materials to support the AF exams. The first exam to be added to the BTS family is the AF5 Financial planning process exam.
AF5 is an exam that focusses on the advice process, so is similar to the level 4 R06 exam, but AF5 asks questions relating to one fact find rather than two shorter case studies. To pass AF5, you’ll need to demonstrate detailed analysis and critical evaluation skills, as you would expect for a level 6 exam.
The next sitting of the CII AF5 exam is taking place on 13th September 2022. To help our candidates feel as well prepared as they can be, BTS have launched three brand new resources:
The first step in your AF5 preparation is to work through our study guide (which is unique in the marketplace).
This gradually walks you through the exam syllabus and the questions styles that have regularly appeared in past AF5 papers. It will teach you the foundations of the correct question answering techniques, which are so important to achieve a first-time exam pass.
Order yours in the BTS Shop.
BTS run a remote one-day workshop based on the actual exam fact find.
This day walks you through some possible fact find questions and suggested answers, and covers off some of the technical areas that may appear in your exam. BTS will have analysed the AF5 fact find prior to the workshop, and the workshop day will involve working through model questions and answers to practice key AF5 exam techniques and technical knowledge. You will have the opportunity to ask and discuss questions in a group forum as well, to prepare for the AF5 exam sitting as much as possible.
Find out more on the BTS Events Calendar.
BTS produce a full e-Learning analysis of all the possible questions and answers that we think could be examined on the relevant AF5 fact find.
We include hints and tips after each question debrief, plus include relevant crib sheets on possible technical areas that could be examined.
BTS AF5 designers start work on this analysis the minute the exam fact find is released. This enables the module to be available for purchase within days of the CII publishing the fact find for the exam.
Order yours in the BTS Shop.
The AF5 Financial Planning Process is the mandatory unit of the CII’s Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.
It’s an exam that focusses on the advice process, so is similar to the level 4 R06 exam, but AF5 asks questions relating to one fact find rather than two shorter case studies. To pass AF5, you’ll need to demonstrate detailed analysis and critical evaluation skills, as you would expect for a level 6 exam. It is a 3-hour exam with a pass mark of 55%. With a 2021 pass rate of 63% it is a tricky exam requiring a critical appraisal of the financial planning options available.
Passing AF5 needs a ‘little and often’ approach when it comes to your study plan The BTS AF5 study plan has four parts to it; the aim being to set you up for first time exam success.
The final two stages take place once the exam fact find is released, approximately two and a half weeks before the exam sitting date.
BTS are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new AF7 exam support. We are well known for our pensions expertise: our R04 Pensions and retirement planning support has helped hundreds of candidates pass one of the trickiest R0 exams.
When BTS students complete their Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning, we are often asked whether we support the Advanced exams, which is why our resident pensions expert, Director Luiza Todd, has crafted this new edition to the BTS exam support family.
The next sitting of the CII AF7 exam is taking place on 22nd September 2022. To help our candidates feel as well prepared as they can be, BTS have launched two brand new resources:
The BTS AF7 e-Learning module consists of five unique case studies, each with a full set of specimen exam questions and model answers. The module is designed to be worked through as a series of mock papers, attempting an answer before self-marking using our marking grid. A clear rationale is provided for each answer so you can learn as you go.
We include hints and tips after each question debrief, plus include relevant crib sheets on possible technical areas that could be examined.
BTS AF7 designers sit the exam every year to keep their knowledge of the question styles as up to date and relevant as possible!
Order yours in the BTS Shop.
This day refreshes some of the key technical areas examined on the paper. Includes a selection of technical crib sheets to organise learning, as well as specimen exam questions and model answers to develop an understanding of what the CII examiner is looking for. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask and discuss questions in a group forum as well, to prepare for the AF7 exam sitting as much as possible.
Find out more on the BTS Events Calendar.
The AF7 Pension transfers unit is a level 6 exam and is one of the optional units on the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.
It’s an exam that focusses on specialist knowledge of the advice process for pension transfers, which is a fairly complex areas of advice. It is a 2-hour exam comprising of 3-4 written short answer questions worth a total of 32 marks, and two case study based questions worth a total of 68 marks. With a 2021 pass rate of 56% it is a tricky exam requiring a critical appraisal of the financial planning options available.
Passing AF7 needs a very focused approach when it comes to your study plan. This is a challenging exam with a narrow syllabus, which means candidate knowledge levels and their ability to apply this knowledge to short answer questions and case studies needs to be good. Last minute cramming will generally not result in an exam pass – a ‘little and often’ approach is recommended, as always with any advanced exam.
The BTS AF7 study plan has four steps to it; the aim being to set you up for first time exam success.
R0 exam candidates often consider progressing onto the AF exams. The AF5 Financial Planning Process is the mandatory unit of the CII’s Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning. It’s an exam that focusses on the advice process, so is similar to the level 4 R06 exam, but the AF5 exam asks questions relating to one fact find rather than two shorter case studies. To pass the AF5 exam, you’ll need to demonstrate detailed analysis and critical evaluation skills, as you would expect for a level 6 exam.
Luiza Todd one of the BTS Directors shares her experiences of sitting the CII AF5 exam. Read the article in full here:
Sitting the AF5 exam – Professional Paraplanner Magazine July 2022
The CII recommend a minimum of 150 study hours for this mandatory unit. Make sure you don’t wing it – preparation is key both with the system, your knowledge and your question answering techniques. Candidates who buy an analysis and learn questions and answers are not giving themselves the best possible chance of a first-time exam pass. No-one knows exactly which questions will come up, and the AF5 exam is designed to test your analysis skills to the limit. Buy and work through a study guide, attend a workshop, gets lots of practice and buy a decent fact find analysis. AF5 is an advanced paper – your knowledge, question answering techniques and preparation all must be first class to have a chance of passing.
After three fantastic episodes on getting into financial services and changing careers and routes to level 4, the next event in the Career Pathways programme focuses on qualifications for paraplanners.
Listen as we chat to special guests Lisa Tipton and Kimberley Malin about their journey to qualified paraplanner and beyond!
Find out about the options for qualifications for paraplanners including level 4, level 6 and the route to Chartered.
About our special guests:
Lisa Tipton is the Director of Financial Planning at New World. Lisa started her career in life offices (many years ago) before moving over to financial planning and paraplanning in 2014 and then co-founding a financial planning firm in 2021. Lisa followed the CII route for exams, starting with the Financial Planning Certificate, before becoming diploma qualified and eventually completing the advanced exams and becoming a Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the PFS.
Kimberley Malin is a Junior Paraplanner at Four Oaks Financial Services Limited. Having worked in and around the administration roles in the Financial Services industry for around 9 years, with varying levels of seniority, she felt it was time to take her career to the next level. Kimberley wanted to find an opportunity that would allow her to transition from ‘administrator’ to ‘paraplanner’ and has taken several professional exams including the R0 exams towards her Diploma. Passionate about paraplanning as a career in its own right, Kimberley is on a mission to become the ultimate paraplanner!
View the full list of Career Pathways events and sign up to receive your Zoom link.
Add the event to your basket and complete the checkout. There is no cost for attending this session so no payment will be taken. You will receive an email confirming your booking and Zoom links will be shared with you shortly afterwards.
Please note: Accessing the session via the Zoom link will allow you to join the live session. The session will also be recorded and the audio recording will be made available after the event to everyone who has signed up. The audio recording may also be available publicly via the BTS website and other podcast sharing platforms.
The R03 Personal Taxation exam can be a really challenging paper, not least because candidates are faced with 50 exam questions to complete in 60 minutes. For an exam that often features many calculation-based questions, this time pressure can feel quite stressful. One of the reasons that calculation questions cause R03 candidates so much stress is candidates tend to feel the need to dive straight into the detail and very quickly find themselves lost in all the figures. The best approach with this type of exam is to have a process for dealing with calculation questions, starting with taking a deep breath before attempting each one! Having a process that you have practised in advance will help to reduce calculation errors caused by missing out key steps and will help you to feel more in control of the exam. Each of the tax calculations has a logical process that you can follow to arrive at the right answer. For income tax it’s an eight-step process, for CGT it’s a six-step version.
The points are in the PROCESS
If we look at the steps for an Income Tax calculation, these are:
Let’s apply these steps to a specimen question:
Bella is an employed structural engineer who has received income from various sources in the current tax year. Her incomes are:
Salary of £56,040, Benefits in kind £5,000, Rental income from buy to let (after expenses) £38,000, Dividends £2,100, Interest £400, and net PID income £160.
What is her income tax liability for the current year?
BTS tip: The CII examiners have a good idea of the mistakes that candidates are likely to make along the way with calculation questions. Watch out for incorrect distractors in the answer options, it’s very easy to miss out one part of the calculation process but still arrive at an answer that is listed in the possible answers!
Learning and practising all the steps for each of the calculation types and knowing which steps should be considered BEFORE you pick up the calculator, are skills that will serve you well to pass the CII R03. The more exam-standard calculation questions you can practise in advance, the stronger the brain muscle-memory for applying the process.
“I have two members of staff sitting the R0 exams at the moment. It’s fair to say that they struggled making progress with the standard CII books. Having been introduced to BTS, I am delighted to say that one colleague passed both R02 and R03 first time around. My other colleague, after two unsuccessful attempts at R03 using other materials, successfully passed it having studied using material from BTS. Both said to me that the BTS books were far more user friendly than those from the CII. They were also very impressed with the training day courses run by BTS. I recommend BTS to all students studying for their R0 exams.”
“After failing the R03 with only 50% on the first attempt using only the CII text book I was feeling really disheartened. I took some advice from some of my peers who were also on the St James’s Place Academy to try switching to BTS for my study material. I purchased the R03 e-Learning module which I found really simplified the CII learning outcomes and within 2 weeks from my first attempt I achieved a 94% pass!”
“I am pleased to say that I sat my R03 exam yesterday and passed it for the first time. I followed Jeff Scholes strategy in approaching R03 questions and it worked a treat. But you know what helped me the most? Your study buddy app. I downloaded both volumes and I found the app very useful. It is the best thing out there and it was the first time I used it and I am sure that I would not have got the mark I did if it wasn’t for practising the exam style questions on the study buddy app. You have got this bang on mark.”
After two fantastic episodes on getting into financial services and changing careers, the next event in the Career Pathways programme focuses on some of the routes to getting a Level 4 qualification.
Join us on Wednesday 25th May at 12pm as we chat to special guests from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF) examining bodies about the different routes available to achieve a level 4 qualification.
The session will be hosted by BTS Director Jeff Scholes with special guests; John Batten – Learning Proposition Manager from the CII, and Richard Cooper – Business Development Manager from the LIBF.
Find out about the routes top achieving a Level 4 qualification in financial services. Ask your questions or sit back and listen!
View the full list of Career Pathways events and sign up to receive your Zoom link.
Add the event to your basket and complete the checkout. There is no cost for attending this session so no payment will be taken. You will receive an email confirming your booking and Zoom links will be shared with you shortly afterwards.
Please note: Accessing the session via the Zoom link will allow you to join the live session. The session will also be recorded and the audio recording will be made available after the event to everyone who has signed up. The audio recording may also be available publicly via the BTS website and other podcast sharing platforms.
Following a fantastic session on getting started in financial services, the next event in the Career Pathways programme is all about changing careers and transferrable skills!
Join us on Wednesday 11th May at 12pm as we chat to Anuj Dal and Ben Stebbings about their experiences of making the leap into financial services after successful careers in sport.
Real career stories from real people. Find out about study options, exams and routes into the profession. Ask your questions or sit back and listen!
View the full list of Career Pathways events and sign up to receive your Zoom link.
Add the event to your basket and complete the checkout. There is no cost for attending this session so no payment will be taken. You will receive an email confirming your booking and Zoom links will be shared with you shortly afterwards.
Please note: Accessing the session via the Zoom link will allow you to join the live session. The session will also be recorded and the audio recording will be made available after the event to everyone who has signed up. The audio recording may also be available publicly via the BTS website and other podcast sharing platforms.
BTS is excited to announce a brand new series of fortnightly lunchtime events – Career Pathways. These free events are designed for new / recently qualified financial services professionals and those thinking about their next steps.
The aim of the Career Pathways events is to bring together peers and regulated exam experts to share information and experience on subjects including:
Starting on Wednesday 27th April at 12pm with the first session which is designed to answer one of the most frequently asked questions from BTS candidates – Getting into Financial Services; where do I start?
Join us during your lunchbreak as we chat to special guests Ruth Downs and James Tout about their experiences of getting in and getting on in financial services.
Real career stories from real people. Find out about study options, exams and routes to qualification. Ask your questions or sit back and listen!
View the full list of Career Pathways events and sign up to receive your Zoom link.
Add the event to your basket and complete the checkout. There is no cost for attending this session so no payment will be taken. You will receive an email confirming your booking and Zoom links will be shared with you shortly afterwards.
Please note: Accessing the session via the Zoom link will allow you to join the live session. The session will also be recorded and the audio recording will be made available after the event to everyone who has signed up. The audio recording may also be available publicly via the BTS website and other podcast sharing platforms.
On Tuesday 12th April 2022, Professional Paraplanner hosted another Technical Insights Webinar presented by Jeff Scholes, Director of Bespoke Training Solutions (BTS).
If you missed the live webinar, you can access the recording here Technical Insights Webinar – April R06 2022 Recording using access passcode: 6b@Sk#GE
April’s webinar concentrates solely on the R06 Financial Planning Practice exam and looks firstly at generic aspects of this exam, followed by a closer look at the actual April R06 2022 case studies, their keys facts and possible areas of examiner focus. This webinar is a ‘must attend’ for any paraplanner that is either sitting April’s exam, or those that wish to learn more about the exam itself for a future sitting.
An R06 pass requires three things:
If one of these elements goes awry, then a candidate is likely to have to resit the R06 exam. To help you to build your R06 study plan, again we have put together a range of study and training options in our BTS R06 Study Toolkit.
