Accelerate
Your career

Home | Careers | Make the LEAP

We have been accelerating careers for mortgage advisers and financial consultants for more than a decade through our highly regarded LEAP Accelerator programme. Offering the right candidates an exceptional opportunity to switch career, the programme is fast paced, supportive, exciting and rewarding.

Who do we support?

The LEAP Accelerator programme offers a limited number of outstanding individuals, with no previous experience of providing financial advice, the opportunity to become a successful adviser within Cooper Associates. Bankers, professionals, sports people, and military personnel have successfully transferred their skills, knowledge and experience to a new advisory role.

There is no limit to the opportunities and rewards available from a career in mortgages and wealth management with Cooper Associates. Successful candidates follow a structured programme of training and development, aiming to reach Competent Mortgage Adviser status within six months.

When does the programme run?

The LEAP Programme runs once a year, in October. Applications open in April.

APPLICATIONS OPEN

April

Applications open in April and close at the end of June. Successful applicants will undergo multiple interviews and an assessment day. The full process is outlined below.

COURSE STARTS

October

Cohorts begin in October across all three locations: Taunton, Bristol and Cheltenham. Occasional travel to other offices may be required during the initial training period.

Leap Timeline

Your journey to becoming a financial expert for Cooper Associates

Learn

1-3 Months

Join the LEAP Accelerator cohort for a fast-paced, challenging and rewarding training and development programme. Having achieved your Certificate in Mortgage Advice within the first month of joining, you will be fully immersed in the Cooper corporate DNA.

Experience

3-6 Months

Commit to continued learning and skills development within an environment of mentoring and support. Put your technical and practical skills into practice with the aim of achieving Competent Adviser status within six months.

Accelerate

6-12 Months

The speed to succeed is defined by you. If you have embraced the opportunity to learn, grown and achieve more, you will see earnings rise and will aim to achieve your Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning within 12 months.

Perform

Year 2 and beyond

Those completing the Diploma and performing exceptionally will be invited to apply for a role within the Cooper Associates Wealth Management team. As a wealth manager, you will enjoy unlimited earnings potential. The sky is the limit for those who truly make the LEAP.

The LEAP programme provides a unique opportunity to work for a company where there are genuinely no glass ceilings on development and progression. The opportunity is truly what you make it.

Thomas Jackson

Managing Director of Mortgages

Taking the LEAP with Coopers

Acceptance onto the programme follows an intensive selection and rigorous assessment process to ensure that only those candidates who have the necessary attributes, characteristics and skills are selected.

The LEAP Acclerator programme has been designed to provide the relevant training and development to enable individuals to begin their Advisory career on a solid foundation. It entails an intensive programme of support in all the areas required to succeed including studying for, and completing, the necessary qualifications.

Mentoring is a key part of the LEAP Accelerator programme and candidates will have access to advisers within all areas of the business to enable them to gain a holistic insight into the paths their careers may take once qualified.

On completion of the programme, individuals will form part of the Advisory team where they are expected to excel. However, development and learning never stops; the continuous professional development programme will ensure candidates always remain up to date with the latest developments in their field.

Application Process

Our four-stage application process is designed to find exceptional individuals who align with our values and are ready to thrive at Cooper Associates.

Your LEAP journey starts here…

Our four-stage
application process

From Open Evening to final offer, each stage is designed to challenge, inspire, and uncover individuals who are ready to make their mark at Cooper Associates.

people sitting around a table listening to a speaker

Open Evening

Interested in joining our LEAP Accelerator programme? Your first step is to come and learn more at the Cooper Associates Open Evening. You’ll hear from LEAP Alumni and discover more about the LEAP Accelerator programme. To make the grade, we’re looking for exceptional candidates who stand out from the crowd. A first impression is paramount, and this is your first opportunity to make one with us.

Interviews

This is the perfect opportunity to impress us and show us you’re an individual we really need as part of the Cooper Associates team. Our LEAP graduates form the future foundation of our business, and we take their recruitment incredibly seriously, so you will be interviewing with members of the Executive team.

Assessment Day

This is your first chance to meet other applicants. During the day, you will work in groups, demonstrating your ability to work under pressure. We will assess communication skills closely as this is a vital part of the role you are applying for. You need to demonstrate you are a team player whilst also making your mark. Psychometric testing will help us measure your core skills and personal qualities, to make sure we fit. Following your assessment you will have a final panel interview.

Offer

If you’ve made the right impression, we won’t keep you waiting for a decision. Following a debrief of your assessment performance with our senior team, offers will be made to the selected LEAP Accelerator programme candidates within 48 hours.

Ready to take the first step?

Apply now and start your LEAP journey

Get ready to take the
Leap

Apply Now

Connect with us

Accelerate Your career