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Patrick Weightman is a protection and mortgage adviser, with a particular focus on protection. That focus is personal: a serious illness left Patrick with a heart condition and, at the time, without the financial protection he needed to fall back on. It set him on a mission to make sure his clients never face what he did.
To build his career in financial services, Patrick has studied a range of professional qualifications with LIBF — completing his Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP), Certified Practitioner in Specialist Property Finance (CPSP) and Certificate in Regulated Equity Release (CeRER), and now working towards the Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA). In this interview, he shares his journey from IT contractor to protection and mortgage adviser, and why protection should matter to everyone.
What was your life like before you entered the financial services?
Before I came into financial services, I had a fairly long career as an IT contractor. I worked for government organisations, I worked for large companies, small companies, and it was predominantly in project management, dealing with projects that were going wrong, that sort of thing. So it was high stress environment, but it was a good career and it was enjoyable.
What prompted your career change?
So my career change into financial services came partially through COVID, I wound up with a heart condition. I was off work for a long period of time. Led to a random conversation with my accountant which led into a conversation with a very good mortgage and protection adviser who runs a local firm that they knew. Other people that I know, having conversations around "would mortgage and protection be a good thing for me to do?" Going back, needing a career where I wasn't going to be under pressure, I wasn't going to be on site constantly and I could work from home and control my own day. And everybody told me the same thing, "It is a great career to be in."
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Why did you choose protection and mortgage advice as your new career path?
Coming into financial services, protection and mortgage advice, the protection side of things plays into the scenario I found myself in. And I guess it's one of those things where we all think we're going to be okay. And everyone thinks that illness and this sort of thing is something that happens to somebody else. It doesn't happen to you. And during COVID I became one of the statistics. I didn't have the protection that I needed in place. Certainly not to the level that I should have had. Because I hadn't had those conversations. No one had really talked to me about it. So I wound up having to go back to savings, investments, and relying on what I'd basically got in the bank to get me through. And that sort of set me on a mission then into this, my job is to make sure that people don't go through what I went through.
How does this profession allow you to prioritise your health in ways your previous career didn't?
One of the great things about working in mortgage and protection is that I get to control my day, and I get to control my own diary. Everything I do is essentially within my control. I still do have ongoing health issues. I can get to see doctors when I need to and that sort of thing. Most of our meetings are on Zoom. It's rare we actually have to go out and see a client. It does make it really easy to control my illness, my medication regime, and my work life balance.
Why is protection advice so important to you personally?
For me, protection advice is really important. From my own illness and my own personal experience, I've seen the financial damage that can be done. There are 4.4 million self-employed people in the UK and most of them don't have enough protection or don't have the right protection. We have a duty in this industry to be talking to every single one of those people. They don't get statutory sick pay, income protection, simple product, relatively cheap, if we can get out there and talk to every self-employed person in this country and just get income protection on the table for them, that will change lives forever.
What advice would you give someone with challenges looking to break into mortgage and protection advice?
Coming into this industry with my own challenges, You will hit roadblocks. You will have to find people that are willing to invest in you and give you that shot. You're going to need to have a bit of sales acumen in the first place just to get in the door. But it's very much about finding people that you want to work with, people that want to work with you as well. Find your tribe. There's so many networks out there. It's finding the people that you can work with, I think that's the biggest thing. And if you can find that group and they're willing to invest in you, then you'll do well.
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How has your experience been studying with LIBF?
I think the last time I'd actually studied before LIBF was back in the nineties with the Microsoft Developer Network doing their exams. So coming back into it, I think the hardest part was actually getting the grey matter working again. The study materials are really good, the books are fantastic. The online questions, the learning resources, again, all really good. It is just a case of getting your head down and get doing it. There's loads and loads of practice exams, loads of practice questions you can go through. You really can't run out of things to work on as part of these courses.
What has studying multiple LIBF qualifications taught you about professional development?
So within financial services, we have a requirement to study, and to do CPD constantly. It really doesn't need to be a requirement because I think what every broker will tell you is that every day is a school day. In this industry there is always a webinar to do. There is always more to learn. And doing multiple qualifications with LIBF has taught me so much more than that. I did the CPSP qualification because I wanted to know more about buy to let and specialist lending. I did the CeRER, the equity release qualification, because I wanted to understand more about that marketplace, understanding the people that were involved and being able to refer on clients that I saw every day, that I identified through my other work as being suitable for equity release. Every day's a school day and there's loads to learn.
Would you recommend LIBF to others?
I would absolutely recommend LIBF. The resources are fantastic and the courses are not only industry recognised, but industry standard. If you're going to go into financial services, LIBF is absolutely the way to do it. LIBF is the industry standard. It's well recognised, everyone knows it. And it's the recognised career path into mortgage broking, protection broking, and then on into specialist finance, equity release. There's so much there to learn.
A mission to protect others
Patrick's story shows that the right career can work around your health while giving you the power to change lives. Backed by industry-recognised LIBF qualifications, he's turned his own experience into a mission to protect others.
Ready to follow a similar path? Explore LIBF's mortgage and finance qualifications — including CeMAP, CPSP and CeRER — and take your first step into a career that makes a real difference.
Ready to elevate your mortgage career?
Start your journey with us today.
- Flexible learning that fits your schedule
- Earn qualifications respected worldwide