When he left school after completing one year of his A Levels, Paul Chilver knew one thing – he wanted to get to work. 
The financial planning manager at Birkett Long, in Colchester, never knew exactly what he wanted to do, but since joining the financial services company 13 years ago he hasn’t looked back. 
He says: “I left school at 16 and when I realised the football career wasn’t going to happen, I did my AS Levels in history and law.
“However, after a year I knew it wasn’t for me. I enjoyed history, but I didn’t know what job I could get with it at the end, so when the opportunity came up to work, and train on the job with Birkett Long, I took it.”
Paul, 30,started work as an administrative assistant without any formal qualifications in finance “but the company made it clear they would support me in my qualifications, which they did,” says Paul. 
Paul went through nearly six years of exams to qualify in financial 
planning, including 18 months to gain his financial adviser qualification, but there  are shorter routes.
He says: “You can do it in three or four years at university.
“I found being at work while training helped me to learn about sitting down and having face to face meeting with clients. 
“You don’t learn that in a classroom. Learning on the job means once you are qualified, you hit the ground
running and without university debt.
“Personally, I love the client facing work. I get to deal with generations of families who are at different stages in their lives.” 
Another route into financial planning is through apprenticeships, which Birkett Long invests in. 
Paul is a mentor to an employee who came through the company’s apprenticeship programme. He says those looking to join the industry need a wide set of skills and be willing to learn. 
“You have to be able to have empathy with clients because you can be helping them with some sensitive issues,” Paul says. 
“You have to be comfortable doing client-facing work, have a good head for figures, of course, and have the ability to learn, as there are endless changes in the industry which you have to keep up to date with.
“There is plenty of work out there but not much young blood coming through the door, so it is a good time for young people to consider a career in financial planning. 
“It’s not a job profile many people learn about at school careers events. I didn’t. I was told how to become a solicitor or a lawyer, but not a financial planning manager. 
“If people are unsure and want to know more it is worth them doing some work experience at a firm first.”