First Wealth internship experience – Ciaran Johnston

Tell us about you?

My family are Irish, but I grew up in England, near Bournemouth and I am currently studying Business Management at Cardiff University. At the moment, I am doing the final internship of my placement year here at First Wealth.

I am also an avid rugby player and spent a year playing rugby in Australia after High School.

How did you get this internship?

Since being at University I had identified financial planning as an area of finance I was interested in and wanted to explore further.

I came across First Wealth when researching the top financial planning firms in London. Shortly after, I saw the advert for the internship here and, after reading Sam’s blog about his own internship experience, I was impressed by how supportive the company sounded, and applied.

The initial application process involved sending a video about myself and I thought that was a really unique approach. After sending the video and my CV I had an interview and was then offered the position.

Prior to this, I did a placement at Amazon and EY.

Tell us about your experience with First Wealth so far

The first week was spent learning about compliance, and being trained on the systems the company uses and I also underwent training so that I could get more involved with clients.

This is a 9-week internship and is actually my first experience of coming into an office as all my other placements were remote, so it has been great to experience office life.

So far, I have had exposure to all the different teams which has been very insightful. I have really enjoyed seeing how the advisers work and each advisers unique approach.

I have learned how to do a suitability letter as well as picking up different tasks and communicating with clients via email.

The training here at First Wealth and the approach is very thorough and has been extremely beneficial.

What are the highlights of your placement so far?

First Wealth has a great company culture overall and offer flexible working which positively contributes to work/life balance because I don’t have to commute 5 days a week and can attend important appointments when necessary then make up the time later that day. At the moment, I come into the office Tuesday to Thursday and work from home Monday and Friday.

I got to experience the team summer night out and not long after that, Humaira, the Head Of Client Relationship Management, took me to a team event. Being included in those events made everyone seem more approachable and made me feel more comfortable asking questions.

What are your plans once you complete the placement?

I am lucky to have had varied industry experience this year. After I graduate, I want to figure out what the next step is for me career wise. I have already started my finance qualifications and look forward to enjoying my last year of university now that Covid-19 restrictions are easing.

I am very interested in finance, and I have had an amazing experience here at First Wealth. First Wealth is a growing company and I hope that growth will continue so that I can potentially return.

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