Get your first foot onto the Footsie

What do you check first in the morning: Facebook or Footsie? Are you more concerned about the state of the Hang Seng than Snapchatting your mates?

financialAnd do you find yourself tracking the NASDAQ several times a day?

Well, you’re clearly destined for a top career in financial services – and you’re in the right place.

Some of the biggest financial companies are based in Scotland and many are clustered around the International Financial Services District (IFSD) in Glasgow. When this was established in 2001 along the run-down Broomielaw, it covered just a small patch of the city.

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Now it has spread out along the river and north towards Blythswood Hill and the towering glass and steel edifices that have sprung up to accommodate it are a symbol of its success.

The area has attracted more than £1 billion worth of investment and now 15,000 people work there.

This is welcome news not only if you’re already employed in the finance sector but if you’re at school, college or university and want to get a foot in the door.

Many of the companies have established programmes for work experience, internship and apprenticeships to attract the next generation of talent.

Now let’s be clear: you’re going to have to pull out all the stops if you want to land one of these great job opportunities because the competition is fierce.

Each year 30,000 of the students in Glasgow’s colleges, business schools and universities choose to study a related finance subject and the idea of spending up to a year learning the ropes with one of the industry’s top companies is firmly on their minds.

But don’t let that put you off because, as the IFSD expands, it needs to attract an increasing volume of high-quality staff and is every bit as interested in you as you are in it.

So what’s on offer? Well there are 26-week and 52-week internships on the table, as well as apprenticeships, work experience and taster sessions.

Foundation apprenticeships are available for students still at school and those who want to combine studying for their exams with gaining real life experience.

Then there are summer internships. You’ve just missed out on this year’s sessions, but don’t hang about. If you want to spend next summer taking your first step into the world of finance, get your name down now.

Whether you’re an up-and-coming star or an established player, s1jobs has plenty of tempting vacancies in Financial Services.