International wealth managers Hoxton Wealth, hosted a training day for aspiring financial planners at its Dubai headquarters in collaboration with money management platform, Squirrel Education and Dubai English Speaking School (DESS).

The sixth-formers from the world-renowned school joined a session led by Hoxton’s Global Head of Advisory, Jacob Hall, introducing a career in financial planning, investments and portfolio building. 

The day also included talks highlighting Hoxton’s company’s Financial Planner Pathway Programme and its Wealth Flow cashflow planning tool.

With support from Squirrel Education, the group of students are all exploring careers in finance, receiving coaching for their Fundamentals of Financial Services Exam, with The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (The CISI).

Squirrel Education and Hoxton Wealth partnered specifically to offer the students practical exposure inside a live financial services firm, experiencing day-to-day operations and the opportunity to connect with senior professionals from across the business.

Matthew Morgan, who plays a leading role in developing talent through Hoxton’s Pathway programme led a session on the positive impact that planners can have on people’s lives and the structure of a career in the profession. 

Meanwhile, Ravi Gill, a Pathway graduate who now mentors trainees on the programme shared his experience of breaking into the industry and how his career in the international space has taken shape since moving to the UAE in 2018. Ravi recently won the award for Emerging Talent of the Year at the International Investment Awards 2025.

Ben Bolger, Co-Founder of Squirrel Education explains: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the Hoxton Wealth team and Jacob Hall for making this happen. Opportunities like this don’t come around often in the UAE , where students can gain on-the-job exposure - something really powerful for future university applications and early career step. 

“The students themselves were brilliant! They shared great questions, genuine curiosity, and were a huge credit to their school.”

Jacob Hall from Hoxton adds: “It was such a pleasure having the students in the office, we were really impressed by their maturity, curiosity, and the quality of their input. Helping the next generation understand the value of financial planning is something we are very passionate about, especially as we look to close the advice gap with fresh talent and smarter tech. 

“Likewise, our partnership with Squirrel Education is a brilliant initiative and one I’m happy to support. 

“Currently at Hoxton, there are 29 future planners learning the profession the right way: with structure, accountability, and real-world experience. Through our Pathway programme, we give our trainees a salary, so they can learn without short-term pressure, mentorship from seasoned leaders across the company and a clear, structured route into the profession.

“It shows, if you invest in people instead of just buying advisers or books of business, you build something that lasts.”