Wed, 29 Jan 2014As austerity measures continue to take their toll on the UK’s military in 2014, with a further 1,400 job cuts still to be announced, on a more positive note, many service personnel could look to forge new careers within the financial services sector.

Financial advisory organisation Lighthouse Group believes that with servicemen and women likely to be evaluating their post military job prospects, the New Year is the perfect time for personnel to embark on a new career in the financial services sector.

Malcolm Streatfield, Lighthouse Group chief executive officer, says: “It’s no secret that the armed forces redundancy scheme is to continue to affect military personnel in 2014. There are to be a further 1,400 redundancies this year, to add to the 4,500 that were announced in June last year.”

Lighthouse Group professional financial adviser Andy Stafford-Smith started his career in the financial services sector in 1995 after 20 years service in the armed forces.

Stafford-Smith says: “Having left the RAF after 20 years, I needed to find a career that maximised my drive, discipline, ambition and problem-solving skills. These are the kind of key characteristics held by many in the military and the financial services sector really allows you to utilise these abilities.”