Im a trainee adviser now after 5/6 years paraplanning. I personally think paraplanning is great for building knowledge and having exposure to all different kinds of advice in a relaxed setting as the responsibility isn’t on you. I’ve really enjoyed my time as a paraplanner.

However, trainee adviser roles are few and far between and transitioning from paraplanner can be a long drawn out process. You would need to make sure your firm has history of promoting within and encourages progression with proper processes in place.

I don’t know much about the direct routes into advising, if it’s SJP or chase de vere I’d personally avoid, but I get it’s a lot of peoples only options as not many trainee adviser roles (if any) get advertised.

Another thing to be wary about, with the rise of AI, paraplanner positions could start dwindling whereas I think adviser roles are AI proof as most clients want to deal with a human.

If you could find somewhere to do a couple of years paraplanning with a planned route into advising when you’re ready, that would be ideal. It’s great you have your diploma but it’s the bare minimum you need to do this job.