anyone's done cemap?HELP!

Joe_Bloggs

Do not dismiss my suggestion without seeing what you can do to serve your community. It would be something else to write on your CV. You may need the knowledge/work experiance to help you gain a foothold on your future career.
J_B.

AndrewSmith

As with anything, passing the exam is only the beginning, like opening a door.

The real learning curve begins when you get into the job. It can take years, in fact you never stop learning in this job. That's what makes it such a challenge but also a reward.

Andy

Zoetoes

Joe_Bloggs wrote:

Do not dismiss my suggestion without seeing what you can do to serve your community. It would be something else to write on your CV. You may need the knowledge/work experiance to help you gain a foothold on your future career.
J_B.

Nice idea but I've 2 young mouths to feed. If i don't find a mortgage related job in the next fortnight then I'll be temping in a call centre until I do.

Joe_Bloggs

Clearly you are lacking business contacts in a cutthroat market place. Do not expect much help from those full of vigour. Could you help out someone closer to retirement in the same business ? This may require some research. I hope you can get to where you want to be with all the acronyms you have aquired.
J_B.

ronni_2

erm--,i'm kind of worried now.u c guys,i'm not native,english's my second language.i'm really doubting myself if i can do this.i'm ok with speaking,when it gets down to writing it will become a problem.do u still think i should get on with it?

MortgageMamma

Ronni, its a multiple choice exam, no writing.

To zoeleigh - which area do you live in, I have lots of contacts up my end of the country (north) I can put the feelers out for you. What you really need do to is get on with a firm linked to a network such as LIME, as they have a trainee scheme for freshly qualified advisors. Get copies of Mortgage Strategy, mortgage introducer and mortgage solutions sent to you there's hundreds of jobs advertised in the back of them. Also try using this website https://www.reed.co.uk, lots of mortgage jobs advertised on that. If you go to a certain network I know on their T & C scheme, they will allow you to write business on an information only basis (you don't give advice, just "arrange" the mortgages/insurances. This is good if you can leach on to some local builders or something and see clients about new builds etc. I'm not advocating this is the way it should be done, just trying to give you ideas. Write to all the IFA's in your area asking if they may have a position for you, but whatever you do, don't give up!

Oh and sorry for saying 4-5 months!! It seems like I've been speaking to you a long time thats all!

MM

ronni_2

thank you so much,everyone! specially mortgagemamma!do u think i should choose the self-study course so that i can take my own pace?would you have any test paper sample by any chance you could e-mail to me? just want to have a look at it before i take the course.
many thanks!

HelpWhereIcan

ronni wrote:

erm--,i'm kind of worried now.u c guys,i'm not native,english's my second language.i'm really doubting myself if i can do this.i'm ok with speaking,when it gets down to writing it will become a problem.do u still think i should get on with it?

From what I have seen of your written English, you should be ok. As mortgagemamma says, the questions are multiple choice, so if you can read and understand English you should be ok.

My main tip is RTFQ (Read The F£"*!!# Question). While they are multiple choice, they are designed to test understanding as well as memory and will sometimes be written in a way designed to detect those who are answering by recognising an answer rather than applying knowledge they have gained. Therefore, it is easy to misread a question and give the answer you think they are looking for rather than the one they actually are. As has been suggested, get some study material and sample papers before taking any exams, study properly and you should be ok.

zoeleigh wrote:

Not if it doesnt pay 18k plus !!

I gave my job up to study CeMAP full time and need a role quickly as I'm running out of cash. Already resigned to giving up my Kop season ticket at Anfield for next year. Now that is a big sacrifice!!

Although, in most cases, you would aim to be in an independant practice as your career progresses, many people actually start off in a bank/building society learning the basics (and some of the training can be good) and establishing a track record for themselves in the industry in what is a relatively secure environment.

Most independant practices will want to see at least some sales experience before they take someone on, and those that don't can be very cut-throat if you don't get up to speed quickly. I know - I worked for one where I was taken on at the same time as 6 industry new entrants and 8 weeks later, there were only 2 of the new entrants left!!

Most IFAs will have started off as tied advisers of one sort or another (as I did), but it seems to be a point that is overlooked when people talk about becoming a mortgage broker for whatever reason.

The point I am trying to make is that there are advantages in working for a bank as a branch based adviser for a year or two to get a track record - it then becomes a lot easier to find a place in an independant practice, possibly going via estate agency based roles.

A quick look on the net shows that Lloyds TSB are looking in the Wirral. Most of the banks and Building Societies have details of any vacancies on their websites and they may not be advertised elsewhere.

Check the emphasis of your CV. This is essentially a sales based role, and most companies will look for some kind of experience or evidence of aptitude for dealing with people. Try and emphasise any sales/customer facing experience that you may have when talking to an employer and that may also help.


Hope this helps

ronni_2

i'm overwhelmed by all ur useful posts! thank you!

dunstonh

Banks and building socities are excellent training grounds.

For those not in the industry, forgive me for what I am about to say but it is a realistic comment. When you start out in a bank, they help teach you and you can make all the mistakes you like on people whilst you learn the job without having any personal liability for what you do. In the early days, you will make mistakes and you will not be as competent as you would be 5 years or so down the road.

With banks generally having high turnover of "advice" staff, they are almost geared to having a sales process which caters for low ability advisers.

So, you cant fault the training of most banks and its a good starting point. Although once you get a couple of years under your belt you start to realise the limitations of what tied advice really means.