I’ve made it my three year goal to become a proffesional trader,
I’m looking for information on what that takes.
who employs traders? Where in the u.k are they based (other than london)? what do they want in traders? what courses should i do, books should i read!? anything to help really!
Thanks Tony
Why trade for others?
If you’re gonna have a goal to be a pro trader, make it being a pro for yourself.
Having no one else to answer to has huge advantages over being liable to someone who is constantly looking over your shoulder.
+1;
Being a pro trader doesn’t mean you’re employed by anyone. You can be a professional trader and live off your trading; some make it their full time job and if you can trade, you can and will prosper.
I got into trading because of its independence. I don’t want to work for someone else and one day I hope to make FX trading my full time job.
I can see why so many people would like to trade for themselves but me personally, i really enjoy other peoples company i’d like to work with other traders, it would also be great to trade much larger accounts without being so emotionally attached. also i don’t think it’s such a bad thing having someone look over you, they’ve got the business to think of and will help you make targets/cut losses. if your on your own who’s to say your emotions wouldn’t take over and you lose 10% instead of 5% i’m sure we’ve all done it.
But saying all that the main reasons are to work in a proffesional enviorement to see how it’s done and then do it myself. i wouldn’t like to open a resteraunt without ever working in a kitchen.
good luck to you though and thanks for your replies!
Tony
go to google and type cisi (chartered institute of securities and investments) cant type the link as its disallowed. Go on the website.
Click on qualifications a list will come up,
The exams you need to take are
-fsa regulations
-securities or derivatives
-Investment and risk
These are all very indepth and require A LOT of revision
My friend is a stock broker and these are the ones he had to take. From what i hear you dont even have to be that good at actual trading to be a stock broker, at least to get in anyway, you just need to be able to sell yourself and be good on the phone. You will spend a lot of the day talking to clients. Not my cup of tea. Good luck.
If you’re coming at it from a non-industry trained angle where you haven’t received in house training, then one option available to you would be to investigate the benefits of trading arcades.
Some of them have been known to train & finance traders, taking a cut of the profits after costs.
Others charge desk fee’s + negotiated commissions & costs, where you also put up a percentage of the deal.
Another option is remote trading from home for a firm or investment collective.
That arrangement will involve them assigning you log in details to one of their funding streams where you’ll access a significant capital base, trading large size via their delegated institutional execution platform(s).
Again, it will involve a profit split & shared commission deal. The latter option will obviously be solely dependant on your experience, skills & trading style.
You’ll have to attend at least one meet up, where you’ll be required to bring documentary proof of your live trade history.
If you want to do that then why not go work for a prop shop?
How long have you been trading?
It will take you at least 12 months to learn the ropes if a newbie.
And then you will need at least 2 years worth of accounts before any prop shop or investment bank would take you on bearing in mind a graduate degrees, etc.
Emotion is there for the big traders to. They have targets and very likely they get thrown out if they make losses.
i am also one who likes more the independence in trading, though i also do enjoy conversations with other trades, mostly via IM.
It is commencable to have a plan, but becoming “pro” shouldnt need to take 3 yrs, if you mean trading for a living as pro. Though learning takes time, i think it varies between traders, and after 6-12 month, if you have a decent starting equity, you can start to see good returns…maybe need 1-2 yr to compound it at least partly if not that great amount, but then, every collage takes time too.
If you google a bit, there is also some prop trading, where they let you trade from home. though they would like you to have some capital as well, kind a insurance that you wont trade carelessly.
as said before, there is no emotionless traders, big or small, but you can strive to hit a middle way where you can mostly control them.
I personally think it is a lot tougher than what many think. I have been trading for about 1 and half yr, but have not been consistent enough. Though I was good for about 4 months bringing my account up 60%, I then lost it in 2 months because of my overconfidence. There are many unforseen problems along the way. 
it sure isnt as easy than many thinks. but if you dont give up and keep learning from your experiences, it is achieveable.
of course the right amount of capital is a pre-requisite, just like opening a restaurant, you need a place first. without adacate capital, there wont be much trading, as the pressure will be constant from being underfunded.
Did you keep a journal? can you see what you did wrong? what’s the main thing you learnt so i can try and avoid your mistakes!
All this information is great! CISI looks boring! to formal. forex excites me because of sites like this and people like us.
Maybe working for someone else is not what i want. can anyone tell me-
1 books that will help (elliott waves, chart patterns whatever you find usefull)
2 share with me your turning point from being a newbie, what happened what did you do/ discover that changed things for the better!
Tony
If you havent already id go through the school here at babypips. Books that you will find useful?? Well that all depends on which sort of analytical methods you want to use in your trades. I could say to you go buy a book on bollinger bands, but, do you like using bollinger bands or do you prefer another indicator… or are you a fundamental trader? There are many variables here.