An Overview of the Graduate Scheme

The aim of the graduate scheme is to provide candidates with a comprehensive range of experience and training. This is achieved through a schedule of 'placements' covering back office, operational and eventually front office departments. The first 10-12 weeks of the scheme will be based in the back office, where you will spend a week in a range of back office functions. The aim of this is to familiarise you with each department and help you develop a basic understanding of their individual as well as group-wide function. After this, graduates will be placed into middle and front office departments for a period of 2-4 months at a time. During each of these placements the graduate will be expected to integrate into the department as a team member. They will be expected to perform effectively and to undertake real responsibilities and tasks.

Graduates will provide support and assistance to whichever department they are placed in at that time. Duties and responsibilities will change with each department, but graduates are expected adapt to these changing responsibilities and to use them in the learning as well to provide professional support to those using the department's resources.

The whole scheme will take around 2.5 years, during which time graduates will be required (and financially supported in line with our Training Policy) to complete the necessary Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) examinations. You will be required to pass at your first attempt the CISI FSA Regulation and Professional Integrity exam (Unit 1) within 6 months of commencing your employment. Thereafter, your continued employment with Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is dependent on the successful completion of the CISI Masters in Wealth Management within the rest of the 30 month period.

A key factor in the scheme is the ability to communicate effectively and to build relationships, both internally and externally. Each graduate will be assigned a mentor at the beginning of their scheme. The mentors are recently qualified brokers who will provide a degree of support and advice on a one to one basis throughout the scheme. However, the graduates will need to possess a proactive and sometimes independent approach, particularly when it comes to studying and building commercial awareness, which require both self motivation and commitment.

A Current Graduate Trainee Profile

A Past Graduate Trainee Experience