Solving the recruitment issue – Mortgage Strategy

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Is the mortgage broker sector attracting enough young talent, given this is the lifeblood of any industry?

Brightstar Financial chief people officer Clare Jupp recently observed that teenagers regarded a career in the police force or building trade as more attractive than one in the mortgage market.

Meanwhile, a number of broker businesses have reported challenges around recruitment — with some vacancies taking months to fill. This comes at a time when youth unemployment is rising, and when many graduates are struggling to secure the first rung on the career ladder.

For too long, mortgage advice has been a career that people stumble into, not choose

So why are young people seemingly so reluctant to enter the profession — and how can those within it address this issue?

Jupp thinks the industry may have an image problem.

“Historically, it has been seen as ‘pale, male and stale’, and perhaps perceived as being a bit boring and uninspiring,” she says.

Jupp adds that there are also misconceptions about what the work may involve.

“From my work with young people, it is interesting that mortgage broking is often perceived as a job for those who are good at maths. This can be an issue for girls as they often feel that mathematical and STEM subjects are more ‘boy friendly’.”

But she points out that, while sourcing a suitable mortgage deal requires a degree of numeracy, broking is also very much a ‘people focused’ industry.

Not all brokers agree with Jupp’s broader point. Many say the primary problem isn’t a ‘negative’ perception of the industry, but the fact school leavers and  graduates don’t know anything about the industry, or what it can offer.

If we can raise awareness of the opportunities in advice, and combine that with real entry routes, there’s no reason it can’t become a career that people actively aspire to

Aria Finance managing director Lucy Waters says: “The real problem is a lack of awareness, rather than people consciously avoiding the sector.

“They just don’t know what mortgage broking offers in terms of both pay and career progression, or what the job entails.”

Connect Mortgages chief executive and founder Liz Syms agrees.

“The mortgage industry has a visibility problem before it has a recruitment problem,” she says.

“We’re not losing talent to other industries — be it the police force, builders or plumbers — because those careers are objectively more appealing.

We’re losing it because young people don’t know this career exists; or, if they do, they don’t know how to get into it.”

Syms says the main recruitment pinch points are at entry level.

The primary challenge isn’t a lack of qualified brokers but a lack of meaningful movement by those brokers

“The real gap is at the bottom of the pipeline. Small and medium-sized firms, particularly those outside major cities, simply don’t have the infrastructure to take new employees and develop them.

“Until the industry builds structured entry routes, that gap will keep widening as the existing generation of brokers ages.”

She adds: “We talk a lot about what the industry needs to do regarding diversity and representation, and that conversation is important. But we’re not attracting enough people of any background into broking at the start of their career.”

Rosemount Financial Solutions CEO Ahmed Bawa says this has been an ongoing problem.

“For too long, mortgage advice has been a career people stumble into, rather than actively choose. If we want to secure the future of the profession, that mindset needs to change.

As an industry, we need young people’s perspectives and fresh ways of looking at the world

“We need to make the industry more visible to bring new people into the profession.”

Visionary Finance managing director Hiten Ganatra says he is trying to address this issue by raising awareness among school leavers.

“We’ve hosted roughly six school-age students (year 10/11) for work experience to demystify what a mortgage broker actually does,” he explains.

Better training opportunities

Brokers want more clearly defined and better signposted routes into the industry.

Syms says: “The trades have apprenticeships that teenagers recognise and respect.

Law and accountancy have graduate schemes with clear progression. Mortgage broking has neither.”

She points out that organisations like Simply Academy have made training for the qualification more accessible, offering help with CeMap via apprenticeships.

But she adds: “Passing CeMap is only the starting point. Newly qualified advisers then need support through the Competent Adviser Status (CAS) process.”

Syms says this has prompted her business to build the ‘Connect Academy’.

“This gives people who haven’t yet found a firm to work with a genuine alternative: the ability to start their own business from day one, with structured CAS support alongside them as they develop.”

Others in the industry have also developed their own apprenticeship scheme.

Gavin Richardson, managing director at Mortgage Finance Brokers (MFB), says this has helped with recruitment. MFB runs an apprenticeship in financial services administration.

We’ve hosted roughly six school-age students (year 10/11) for work experience to demystify what a mortgage broker actually does

“This offers broad skills for those entering the industry,” he says, “giving young people the opportunity to learn more and see if they want to develop a broking career further with us.”

Richardson says he has discussed with others in the industry the prospect of building a broader mortgage apprenticeship that covers broking, underwriting, surveying, marketing and leadership.

But this has proved difficult.

“There are very few companies that cover all these areas so it is far harder to set up and run,” he says.

Many would like to see an industry-wide scheme.

Newark Wealth mortgage adviser Manos Kiriakakis — one of Mortgage Strategy’s NextGen 30 Under 30 —  says: “A more structured apprenticeship scheme, or a degree-style programme offering practical hands-on experience, would signpost the industry to school leavers and guide people to exams and qualifications.”

Other industries, such as software developers or engineers, have this system, he points out.

Brokers also highlight the importance of developing talent within their own team.

We need to make the industry more visible to bring new people into the profession

Jupp says: “Brightstar has embraced a ‘growing our own’ culture whereby team members, usually case managers, are supported on their journey to becoming an adviser via our New Adviser Programme. This allows us to have an ongoing supply of new advisers without needing to rely on external recruitment.”

Ganatra says this ‘homegrown’ approach means such firms are less reliant on hiring from high-street banks and lenders.

“Our preferred route is hiring talent at the administrative level,” he says. “We then support them through their CeMap qualifications and provide a structured pathway to develop them into brokers.”

NeedingAdvice senior mortgage broker Matthew Shufflebotham, who joined the industry in 2020, says mentoring and support in these early years are invaluable.

“Early on I had the opportunity to shadow director Damian Youell. This gave me valuable insight into the industry and helped me understand the practical side of the job.”

Until the industry builds structured entry routes, the gap will keep widening as the existing generation of brokers ages

Bawa observes: “One route that is often overlooked is the role advisers themselves can play in introducing the next generation.

“Across the Rosemount network, we’ve seen numerous examples of brokers bringing family members into the profession who have seen firsthand what the role involves and the opportunities it offers.”

Such links can foster new talent. Kiriakakis joined his parents’ financial advice business and now runs their mortgage broker division.

But he says this isn’t a route open to everyone and the industry needs to do more to widen access.

Recruitment pinch points

Richardson says it isn’t just a lack of candidates that is impeding new blood. Broker businesses, along with many other industries, face wider recruitment challenges.

“Higher National Insurance costs and tougher employment laws mean recruitment can be a costly mistake if you get it wrong.”

Historically, it has been seen as ‘pale, male and stale’, and perhaps perceived as being a bit boring and uninspiring

Businesses may become “more choosy” about who they take on, says Richardson, adding there’s more risk in hiring 18- to 22-year-olds with no experience, compared to those already working in the industry. But it’s important the industry does not shy away from offering entry-level opportunities, he says.

“As an industry, we need their perspectives and fresh ways of looking at the world.”

Ganatra says recruitment problems are exacerbated by a lack of movement further up the career chain.

“The primary challenge isn’t a lack of qualified brokers but a lack of meaningful movement by those brokers.”

Other pinch points that have been identified include specialist lending, as well as more general issues such as hiring in rural areas and regions with higher salaries.

Despite these challenges, those working in the industry agree that broking can be an attractive career. Waters points to good starting salaries and the opportunity to boost earnings considerably within a few years.

The real problem is a lack of awareness, rather than people consciously avoiding the sector

Bawa adds: “Broking offers many of the things today’s workforce values: flexibility, the ability to build your own business, strong earning potential and the chance to make a genuine difference to people’s lives.

“Attracting new talent will require a collective effort.

But, if we can raise awareness of the opportunities in advice, and combine that with real entry routes into the profession, there’s no reason it can’t become a career that people actively aspire to.”

This article featured in the April 2026 edition of Mortgage Strategy.

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