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Where it started
Hi, my name is Ruth. I'm an admin assistant at Michael Johnson IFA Limited and I'm currently studying the Diploma in Regulated Financial Services.
I started the diploma back in November so I've been doing it now for three, nearly four months. I've completed my first module which was R01 and I'm now working towards R05, Financial Protection and it's a really good course to do with the content that you get through.
NextGen Planners is excellent, they suggest that you do an hour a day so it's like a 30 day challenge for each module. Each section is broken down into little videos that you work through on a day-to-day basis mixed in with the textbook. As well as that, you have a weekly
tutorial on teams, but with other people also working towards the same module as you, so you get to chat to their tutors, chat to other people doing the course, and ask any questions that you've got.
As well as that, the coaches and the tutors are there to have one-to-ones with you whenever you need them. So if you're going through a section and you you're not quite understanding it, or you just need a little bit more background knowledge to it, you just drop them message and they'll schedule in a one-to-one with you and go through that topic and make sure that you've really understood it.
I think like the key thing is that the they won't put you forward for an exam until they feel that you're ready for it. There's no pressure and it's just kind of like quite a relaxed way of learning really and I'm really enjoying it.
So I'm now happy to say I passed R05 and I'm working towards R02 which is Investments. So having done R01 and R05, I would say I found R05 slightly harder just because it was more kind of homed in on a particular thing, so it was on Protection. But again, I really enjoyed both of them and passing them it is such a big boost to go into the next one.
So now I'm doing R02 which is Investments and then at work, because I've passed R05, I'm now doing more suitability letters, a little bit of research and looking at protection products that are suitable for people. I think I've got to a point now where I'm really excited, I really want to pass.
I'm hoping to pass R02 hopefully by the end of May, beginning of June, and hopefully get fully qualified somewhere between September and December I think. I'm really looking forward to to the journey and becoming a fully qualified Financial Adviser.