OSTC Ltd, a global derivatives trading and education business, has brought former UK Government advisor, social enterprise entrepreneur and youth employment ambassador Tim Campbell MBE on board to launch Trading Futures – a life-changing opportunity to become a trader that is open to everyone. Trading positions are some of the highest paying roles in the City. In 2019 the Guardian (check the source) recorded that a trader with a decade or more experience earns, on average, £400,000 to £600,000 annually, while a junior trader with around two years experience would make £49,000 to £90,000 depending on their performance.
The City has a reputation of not only being ‘male, pale and stale’ but also very posh. According to recent research commissioned by the City of London Corporation, almost nine in ten senior roles in financial services are held by people from higher socio-economic backgrounds. This compares with a third of the UK working population as a whole. It also found that employees from less privileged backgrounds take 25% longer to progress, despite no evidence of poorer performance. Dozens of diversity initiatives and box-ticking exercises have done little to change actual outcomes.
It’s time for a radical rethink.
Trading Places
Trading Futures is the opportunity to become a trader which is open to everyone. Applicants don’t need to talk with a plum in their mouth, have a first-class red-brick degree or have a relative on the board…OSTC is seeking the very best talent regardless of their experience or background.
Tim Campbell said: “Trading Futures isn’t just another graduate scheme or accelerator programme that doesn’t lead anywhere; this life-changing opportunity is genuinely open to everyone. I don’t care what school applicants went to, what qualifications they have or don’t have. If they think they have what it takes, I want to speak to them!”
No Experience or Qualifications Necessary
Trading Futures is a completely unique proposition, offering anyone the opportunity to be within the top-earning tax bracket in a relatively short space of time, regardless of previous work experience or qualifications. You don’t need any qualifications to apply only numeracy skills, a great work ethic and the ability to work from home.
Earn as you Learn
A career change, starting something unknown or investing in a return to education can be very daunting, particularly for those who have been ‘adulting’ for a while and have household expenses. OSTC will pay successful applicants whilst they complete the year-long training course. Many young people face the age-old catch-22 that they can’t get a job without experience and they can’t get experience without a job. This disadvantages those not fortunate enough to have the bank of Mum and Dad to fund their career aspirations and their ability to intern to gain experience.
Age ain’t Nothing but a Number
Potential applicants shouldn’t be put off by the job title ‘Junior Trader’ as this just means that it’s an entry-level position; Trading Futures is open to anyone of any age. It doesn’t matter whether an applicant is an 18-year-old school leaver or a middle-aged retail worker who has found themselves out of work during the pandemic. The only requirements are aptitude and attitude. This is true meritocracy.
Gender
Movies like ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ have done little to make financial services seem like a female-friendly working environment. OSTC, with its target to have a third of its board being female by 2023, are keen to attract more women to the sector by offering this unique way of starting a career as a trader.
Levelling up
The Government has long promised to ‘level up’ the UK economy, reduce the North/South divide and get the Northern Powerhouse firing on all cylinders. However, the reality facing those wanting to forge a career in several sectors has traditionally been to move to the capital to do so.
As U.K. Plc gears up to collectively return to the office once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, it is likely that the previous status quo will return for many. Trading Futures has the advantage of being 100% home-based, with all the equipment given cost-free to successful applicants. This opens the opportunity to people across the U.K. without having to completely uproot their entire lives to do so.
Bedroom Traders
The recent GameStop story saw many bedroom traders take on hedge funds. Whilst trading platforms and social media influencers can make it seem like the road to untold riches, many are left in the red having lost thousands of pounds. Trading Futures allows those with little or no experience the life-changing opportunity to learn about ‘real’ trading from the ground up and be paid to do so.
