Frequently Asked Questions

To apply for one of our roles click the ‘vacancies’ tab to explore current opportunities. If you have a question about one of our vacancies, please email [email protected] including the role title of interest so we can direct your query to the best person. We cannot accept speculative CV's. 

Applications will typically be responded to within 2 weeks of your submission. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are already revolutionising the way we operate. Whilst we accept that candidates are using AI tools during our application process, it is essential to present yourself genuinely and, if using AI, to do so responsibly as we would expect you to do so in the workplace:  to compliment, not replace, your unique perspective. To ensure fairness for all candidates, we ask that no outside help, including AI tools, is used during interviews with us.

Our interview process can differ per role type, however typically, if your CV meets our key requirements, we will arrange a phone call to discuss more about the role. Following this, if you have the required skills and experience, we will invite you to interview with a line manager. If successful, we will usually invite you back for a second meeting.  

Some of our roles may require testing at interview stage, these can range from personality and behavioural questionnaires to executive scenarios or skills tests. These are all carried out online through SHL.  

We appreciate it may be useful to have guidance around interview attire. We have a ‘dress for your day’ approach, however interviewees typically dress in business wear. 

We aim to provide feedback to every candidate who attends an interview. Ideally, we aim to do this within 1 week of your interview.  

Parking can be very restricted in Cirencester so we recommend you leave plenty of time to find somewhere to park. We will send you a map of Cirencester with some recommended public car parks prior to your interview. 

Our core business hours are 9am-5pm with an hour for lunch, however we are happy to consider alternative working patterns. We have also introduced hybrid and flexible working policies which you can discuss during your application with us. 

St. James's Place's policy is to retain personal information only for as long as needed to fulfil the purpose(s) for which it was collected, or otherwise as required under applicable laws and regulations. Under some circumstances we may anonymise your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to retain and use such anonymous data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you.

For unsuccessful candidates:

• We will retain personal information collected during the recruitment process for a period of 12 months from the point at which you last logged onto the website subject to any exceptional circumstances and/or to comply with particular laws or regulations.

If you are offered and accept employment with us, some of the personal information we collected during the application and recruitment process will become part of your employment record and we may use it in connection with your employment in accordance with the Employee Privacy Notice. The remaining data will be stored for a period of 12 months then anonymised.

A PEP is an individual who is entrusted with a ‘prominent public function’ does not include middle-ranking or more junior officials.

Individuals entrusted with prominent public functions include:

Below are the broad minimum qualifications required to apply for each of our programmes but please review each individual job description as some areas have unique and specific requirements.

• Apprenticeship programme - you will have gained an excellent level of academic attainment in your GCSEs including Level 5 or above in English and Maths and have completed or be on your way to complete your A-level/BTEC triple award, or equivalent.
• Graduate Programme - you will need be on track or achieved an undergraduate degree with a strong academic record prior. Some of our Graduate Programmes require specific degree subjects or A-levels - these are detailed on each job description.
• Undergraduate Internship Programme - studying as an undergraduate in your penultimate year of university and on track to obtain a 2:2 degree classification or above with a strong academic record prior. 

We also ensure that we consider your achievements in the context of your socio-economic background, so do encourage you to submit your contextual information on the application form.

We are looking for talented individuals who are highly self-motivated and self-aware with exceptional interpersonal skills and who work well with others. You must be passionate about working for both the division you have applied for and working at SJP. We are keen to understand the unique skills you can bring to SJP. We embrace diverse backgrounds and experiences in order to solve problems and innovate and we raise our voice on the things that matter to us.  Contributing to our inclusive culture is vital, ensuring a space for everyone to be their authentic self.

Our Head Office is based in Cirencester in the Cotswolds with the majority of our Early Careers employees based here, however there is a small number of our Graduate Programme positions based in London.

You can only apply for one role per academic year.

You will receive an acknowledgement on application and if successful, be invited to take further assessments. You will receive emails from us (so check your spam/junk folders in your email!) but you can also keep track of the status of your application by logging back into your account.

We offer structured work experience in the form of summer internships for undergraduates in their penultimate year of study at university. These internships are designed to give an insight into, and be considered for, our Graduate Programmes the following year once individuals have completed their studies. 

We aren’t an investment bank, but a financial services organisation. As a community, SJP is made up of employees, our Partnership (who are their own financial advisory businesses) and our academy (who train the next generation of financial advisers). For more information on how we operate please visit our homepage at www.sjp.co.uk.

All our programmes go live on dates and deadline are detailed within the relevant programme page on our website. Applications may close before the deadline if high volumes of applications are received, so we strongly recommend applying early to avoid disappointment.  Please also follow us on Instagram @sjpearlycareers to receive posts on live updates.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are already revolutionising the way we operate. Whilst we accept that candidates are using AI tools during our application process, we encourage you to review our recommendations to ensure you’re using it in a way that enhances your application.

When used effectively, AI can:

• Help shape ideas, organise thoughts and refine language.
• Provide suggestions and tips on how to structure a response.
• Support you in preparing for application stages with advice and practice questions.

However, AI can have a negative impact when it’s used to:

• Generate entire responses which effect the sincerity and individuality of an application and won’t separate you from the crowd.
• Craft scripts which can sound formulaic and unnatural.
• Create imaginary thoughts and experiences which you may be asked to expand on during later application stages.

All our applications and video interviews are manually and individually reviewed by our recruiters, who are looking for candidates to showcase their own authentic voices and experiences.

It is essential to present yourself genuinely and, if using AI, to do so responsibly as we would expect you to do so in the workplace:  to compliment, not replace, your unique perspective.

We are unable to offer work visa sponsorship for our Apprenticeship programmes.

For our Graduate Programmes, you and the role you are applying for must meet the UK Home Office's visa eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa. We state on each programme's job description whether we can support visa sponsorship for that vacancy.

Whilst we accept applications from international students for our internship opportunities, there are some UK Government restrictions on who can sponsor and so it may be the case that we are unable to offer you a role on our Graduate programmes once you complete your studies.

Please note that the UK Home Office changes its immigration rules from time to time and, in such instances, we will be required to process your application in line with the rules that apply at the time of your application. You're required to notify us if your immigration status changes after you've applied for a role as this may impact any offer we make to you.