Progressing through CII personal finance qualifications - direct assessment
Where your non-CII qualifications don't sufficiently match CII qualifications for a prior learning award, you will need to complete CII qualifications wholly through direct assessment.
The examples below illustrate typical routes to CII qualifications and member designations.
Other routes to these qualifications are available to achieve the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.
Elenor has just started her first role as a trainee financial adviser in a UK firm. She plans to complete the CII Level 4 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning before progressing to the Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning and the Chartered Financial Planner title.
She joins the Personal Finance Society and renews her membership annually to maintain her professional designations.
Level 4 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning
Once she passes all six core units and completes this qualification, as a Personal Finance Society member, she is eligible to use the DipPFS professional designation. She applies for a Statement of Professional Standing to advise on retail investment products.
Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning
She now needs eight more units to achieve the Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.
She chooses the (J10) Discretionary investment management, (J12) Securities advice and dealing, (CF6) Mortgage advice and (R07) Advanced mortgage advice units within her route. As she passes each unit, she adds to her designations. These passes give her additional FCA permissions to broaden her advice and advance her career, and she applies for her SPS for advising on securities.
Her choice of Advanced Diploma-level units ensures she has the minimum 120 CII credits at Advanced Diploma level. When she completes the Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, she upgrades her DipPFS designation to APFS, maintaining the others.
Additional CII qualifications and professional designations
Elenor's choice of units adds to her FCA permissions and the breadth of advice that she can provide. This is underpinned by her achievement of more CII qualifications and professional designations within her route:
- Her R01 and J10 passes lead to the CII Level 4 Certificate in Discretionary Investment Management qualification and CertPFS (DM) designation *
- Her R01, R02, R03 and J12 passes lead to the CII Level 4 Securities Advice and Dealing qualification, and CertPFS (Securities) designation **
- Her R01 and CF6 passes lead to the CII Level 3 Certificate in Mortgage Advice qualification, and Cert CII (MP) designation ***
- Her R01, CF6 and R07 passes lead to the CII Level 4 Certificate in Advanced Mortgage Advice qualification, and Cert SMP designation ****
Chartered Financial Planner title
Once she has completed five years of professional experience, she applies for the prestigious Chartered Financial Planner title to accompany her designations.
PFS Fellowship (FPFS designation)
Elenor wishes to differentiate her credentials from others and increases her CII credits to 350. She achieves her PFS Fellowship which is regarded as the premier designation for those working in the financial planning profession.