• Adult Education and Training
• Community and Voluntary Advice
• Financial Capability
• Schools and Colleges
• Youth Sector
• Consumer Career Profiles
  • Karen Williams, Senior Environmental Health Officer, Belfast City Council
  • Esther Chartres, Executive Officer, Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland
  • Dr Sinéad Furey, Nutritional Associate, Education and Training Inspectorate
  • Tina Leonard, Director, European Consumer Centre
  • Martin Coppack, Independent Watchdog The Financial Services Authority
  • Scott Kennerley, Citizens Advice Bureau
  • Marc Harding, Home Economics teacher, Glenola School, Bangor
  • Linda McAuley, Presentator, On Your Behalf, BBC Radio Ulster
  • Hazel Scott, Manager, Consumer Advice Centre, Beflast City Council
  • Jimmy Hughes, Trading Standards Service
  • Carol Edwards, Head of Education at the Consumer Council
  • Tory Kerley, National Manager, Northern Ireland for Skillsmart Retail
• Register for Info
• Newsroom
• Publications
• Events
• Education Home
• Home

Scott Kennerley, Research, Training and Development Officer (Money Advice), Citizens Advice Bureau

What are the best elements of your working week?

The good thing about my job is that there is no typical day. In fact, the most enjoyable part of the role is that in any given week I normally get to work with a wide variety of different people and organisations; all with the aim of making life better for the general public. The other key components of the role include project management, stakeholder liaison, statistical reporting and analysis and consultancy for advisors. I’m also often called upon to respond to media inquiries and although this can be nerve-wracking, it’s a vital way to get important messages from CAB, on a whole range of social and consumer issues, to the general public.

What facets of your professional background help in your current job?

After completing a degree in Marketing, I started my working career in the finance world as a financial adviser for two major High Street lenders. I then moved on to become a mental health money advice specialist, after realising that it was actually helping people that I most enjoyed, not the selling side of things. These roles provided me with a good working knowledge of both the finance industry and the advice sector, which helps tremendously in my current post that I moved from England to Northern Ireland to take up in 2005. So far, it has been an exciting new challenge to coordinate CAB’s money advice, to raise its profile and to work with other stakeholder organisations to make a real difference to people in Northern Ireland.

What characteristics are essential to do your job?

The most important characteristics needed to work in the money advice sector are a desire to help people and an interest in the financial side of things. Being able to listen, empathise with people and put them at their ease is essential. As the largest advice-giving charity in Northern Ireland, we meet the information and advice needs of more than 250,000 people annually. Our trained advisers provide specialist information and advice not just on money matters, but on 14 different areas of the law including consumer issues, employment legislation, social security benefits, health, housing rights and other legal matters. Therefore I would highly recommend anyone interested to volunteer and benefit from the structured training available with the bureau to get a feel for the various advice roles that exist.

Are financial troubles a big problem in Northern Ireland?

They are a significant problem – in fact, around 148,000 people in Northern Ireland are potentially struggling with their finances at any one time, according to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister who in February 2006 published the first report of its kind looking specifically at the financial situation in Northern Ireland. These figures are commensurate with the rest of the UK, but there is an inequity in wages locally. There are also increased areas of expenditure in Northern Ireland that can’t be cut back on – specifically clothing, food and heating costs.

What are the most common financial problems?

The most common financial product we find clients in financial difficulty are struggling with is the credit card. The Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) Money Advice project for 2005/06 dealt with almost £12m of new debt in Northern Ireland and a third of this was on credit cards. However, the most common cause for a financial problem is an unforeseen change in circumstances, such as a job loss, relationship breakdown or sickness.

How do CAB and the Consumer Council co-operate?

While debt is very personal and circumstances are all individual, we work with the Consumer Council on wider consumer issues that affect everyone, such as bank charges. With bureaux across Northern Ireland we have our finger on the pulse of local and regional issues and can work closely with organisations like the Consumer Council to help improve life for the people of Northern Ireland. Together we can contact the right people in the right organisation to sort out particular problems and policy issues.

What single piece of advice would you give someone hoping to get out of financial difficulties?

Don’t ignore the problem – get help. Being in a debt situation is a stressful one that leaves people feeling like they can’t escape and are very isolated. Many people simply don’t know how to deal with things and will therefore bury their heads in the sand. However, the problem won’t go away, it will just get worse. The hardest thing to do is to take the first step and admit advice is needed and then go out and get it.

Does debt have knock-on affects on people?

One serious issue that can often go hand in hand with debt problems is mental health matters. Many advisors report they are seeing more clients suffering stress as a result of their debt situation. In fact, stress is now believed to be the most common reason for sickness from work.

What major goals are set for the future?

We would like to increase the provision of face-to-face money advice. Citizens Advice successfully won the contract for face-to-face money advice across Northern Ireland awarded by DETI - an £800,000 contract until 2008; the first time there has been sustained financial support from government for money advice in Northern Ireland.

Do you take your own advice?

I do to an extent. I learned the hard way, having left university with substantial debt and spending almost the first ten years in employment paying it back. Debt and credit aren’t bad things provided you can manage what you take out. However, I now believe that the ‘buy now, pay later’ philosophy is not necessarily the best way.

How do you wind down outside of work?

I enjoy playing football and spending time with my young family.