Banking and the financial services industry is one of the world's largest industries and as such offers excellent career opportunities around the globe. But you already know that, and what's more, so do all the people that will be competing with you to find a job in this field.

In an era when more and more people are gaining degree level qualifications, you need to ask yourself 'what is it that I can do to really improve my career opportunities? What is my source of competitive advantage?' If you don't know the answer to these questions then why should you expect a prospective employer too?

You need to determine the answer yourself, make yourself the best person for which ever job it is you want. You need to get ahead of the rest of the game.

One of the biggest challenges for the job searcher is in meeting all of an employer's, often diverse, requirements. An employer will always want to employ a well-rounded candidate; one that demonstrates not just academic excellence, but also professional achievement. And this is where we can help you...

The Institute of Financial Services (ifs) is the official brand of The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB), a registered charity and one of the world's leading bodies for the provision of financial education and life-long career support to both the financial services industry and the wider community.

Our ambition is to promote the ifs as a world-class School of Finance, known for its quality and innovative approach as the provider of choice for financial learning, both as an essential lifestyle skill and for a career in the financial services sector. Through this, the ifs will contribute to the development of a global financial services industry, better educated and more skilled than any that has gone before it.

ifs qualifications are designed to be studied part-time via distance learning, which allows you to gain a qualification awarded by a British institution without having to commit to the costs of studying abroad.

In studying for an ifs qualification, you are able to not only improve and demonstrate your competence to do a job, but you are able to gain a source of that elusive competitive advantage. You are able to bridge the gap between theory and practice. And filling that gap can mean the difference between getting the job you want, and not.

The ifs is ideally placed to help you bridge that gap. In October 1996 the Institute, in partnership with the University of Manchester (UoM), launched the BSc Honours Degree in Financial Services linked to the award of Associateship, one of the most highly respected qualifications in the financial services sector. This joint venture was a first for both organizations and offers students a unique opportunity to gain a dual qualification, both professional and academic.

In an environment where the immediate business needs often out-weigh the achievement of long-term goals, the decision to obtain a degree level qualification reflects a longer-term commitment to your career. So having an ifs degree not only bridges the gap between theory and practice and not only improves your competence to do a job, but it also enables you to demonstrate your commitment to the financial services industry.

The ifs offers a BSc (Hons) in Financial Services degree with the option to specialise within the fields of 'Corporate Banking', 'Retailing Financial Services' or 'Risk and Insurance Management'. The qualification structures allow you to customize your study to meet your own specific development needs.

Since 1996, the ifs has continued to talk to the industry and work with academics to develop new qualifications and 2005 has seen the launch of three new diplomas (equivalent to first year UK undergraduate degree level). The new Professional Diploma in Financial Services Management (Professional DFSM®) provides the necessary knowledge for a management career in the financial services sector and is designed to help accelerate your financial services career.

The Applied Diploma in Corporate Banking (Applied DFSM® - Corporate) and The Applied Diploma in Retailing Financial Services (Applied DFSM® - Retail) combine the relevant foundation knowledge in financial services together with the specialist skills in corporate banking or retailing, respectively.

The Institute prides itself on providing support and learning materials of the highest quality and assists students and the financial services sector alike through an online information and research system. Whether studying for a qualification, researching a dissertation or following a programme of continuing professional development; ifs KnowledgeBank delivers the information you need, when you need it. Information is gathered from relevant learning resources quickly and easily from one simple search screen.

Although ifs qualifications are designed to be studied via distance learning, there are a number of academic centres in various locations across the world including, Cyprus, Athens, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. Academic centres offer tuition through an approved programme of workshops.

Other support methods include; an informative website www.ifslearning.com, monthly magazines 'Financial World', 'ifs news' and their online counterparts, a unique programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which includes prestige lectures, seminars and the prestigious annual 'Cambridge Seminar.