The CLF Pathways

Trading Qualifications Pathway

Build your trading foundations. Choose where they take you.

Start with Level 2, progress through advanced trading education and choose between developing as an independent trader or pursuing relevant professional capital-markets qualifications. Real floors, real capital, and mentors who trade for a living. Start with a weekend.

Independent trading route · Professional capital-markets route · taught live · open to complete beginners

01 · The CLF pathway

We rebuilt the route into finance from the ground up.

Come Learn Forex took the structure of professional education, accredited levels, real assessment, recognised certificates, and welded it to the reality of trading: live floors, live capital, and mentors who trade every day. No degree required. No gatekeepers. No three-year detour.

If trading is your passion, do it properly.

Plenty of people start trading because it looks like fast money. Most build on weak foundations, and a few years of losses later they crumble, often past the point where going back to college or university feels realistic. That is the route we are replacing. If trading is what you love, train like it matters: finish with a real, recognised qualification and a pathway into trading and finance, so the education counts even if trading does not work out. A proper plan, with a proper backup built in.

Accredited levels

Real qualifications with real assessment, from Level 2 upwards, not certificates of attendance.

Real trading floors

Six floors across four countries. You learn where trading actually happens, in person or live online.

Real capital

Trade your own account and pursue funded capital. Theory becomes practice from month one.

Working mentors

Taught by senior traders and the founder, people whose own capital is on the line daily.

02 · Two kinds of capital

First, decide whose money you want to trade.

The whole pathway splits on one question. Trading your own account and funded prop-firm capital generally does not require FCA authorisation. Managing client assets, providing regulated advice or conducting regulated investment business is regulated territory — and requirements vary by country and individual circumstances. We built a track for each.

Live now
Track one · Independent

Your capital & funded prop capital

Prop firms fund traders through simulated evaluations backed by their own corporate capital, not public deposits, so this generally does not require FCA authorisation — though funded-account arrangements vary by provider, contract and jurisdiction. What is required is skill: passing evaluations without breaking drawdown rules.

  • Level 2 and Level 3 are built exactly for this: strategy, execution and risk frameworks that clear prop-firm evaluations
  • Trade from home, anywhere in the world, as an independent trader
  • Complete at Level 3, or extend to Level 5 for deeper technical range
Start this track · £120
Launching soon
Track two · Professional

Client & institutional capital

Managing investor money, fund assets or client portfolios is regulated activity: firms typically require recognised professional qualifications, alongside firm authorisation and the relevant regulatory permissions.

  • The Level 5 Diploma in Financial Trading is a regulated Level 5 occupational qualification, positioned at the same framework level as a foundation degree (not itself a university degree)
  • The CISI exams are open entry; our Level 5 carries you into them at institutional depth, so you pass them as a trader, not a crammer
  • Paired with the CISI Level 3 Certificate, the industry-standard qualification employers and regulators expect on a commercial asset desk
Level 5 and CISI preparation arrive on the ladder soon.
03 · The qualification ladder

One ladder. Climb as high as you want.

Every level is a real qualification. Start as a complete beginner at Level 2 and climb towards institutional standard, with the higher rungs arriving soon. We are the first trading institution to have its own proprietary trading concepts, frameworks, strategies and learning content approved by a UK awarding body, one of the country's largest: not generic, dated content, but our own method, examined to a recognised standard.

Start here
Live now
Level 2 in Retail Trading

Two days, taught live, all levels welcome. £120 all-in: two days, the exam, your certificate, plus a month of Stargate and webinars.

Live now
Level 3 in Retail Trading

Four months of live mentorship on the floors or online. The professional standard, finished with a diploma.

Coming soon
Next rung
Level 5 Diploma in Financial Trading

A regulated Level 5 diploma, a regulated Level 5 occupational qualification positioned at the same framework level as a foundation degree — not itself a university degree — without the three-year detour.

Coming soon
Industry exams
CISI exam preparation

Structured preparation for the CISI Level 3 Certificate; passing qualifies you to apply for ACSI membership of the Chartered Institute.

Coming soon
Beyond the diploma
Level 7 Diploma

Postgraduate-level depth for professional and institutional careers, once you hold the letters.

Already trading your own proven strategy? You can step from Level 2 straight to Level 5 when it launches, skipping the mentorship. See the two routes below.

04 · Routes to ACSI

Two roads to the letters after your name.

Both lead to the same stage: the Level 5 Diploma in Financial Trading, the relevant CISI examinations, and eligibility to apply for CISI Associate membership (ACSI). Which one is yours depends on a single question: do you already have a proven trading strategy?

Route one · Building from zero

Learn the method, then qualify professionally.

For beginners and traders who want the CLF method end to end. The Level 3 mentorship builds and proves your strategy live before you step up.

1Level 2 in Retail Trading£120 2Level 3 in Retail Tradingfrom £4,400
3Level 5 Diploma in Financial Trading launching soon~£3,500
Qualifications totalfrom £8,020
Then: CISI examinations → ACSI
Fast track
Route two · You already have a strategy

Your strategy replaces the mentorship.

Already trading a proven strategy of your own? You do not need the Level 3 mentorship. Solidify your foundation at Level 2, then step straight to Level 5.

1Level 2 in Retail Trading£120
2Level 5 Diploma in Financial Trading launching soon~£3,500
Qualifications total~£3,620
Then: CISI examinations → ACSI

Level 2 is £120 all-in: training, exam, certificate, a 30-day Stargate trial and two live webinars a week. Level 3 from £4,400 with a senior trader, £7,500 with the founder; live pricing on the Level 3 page. Level 5 price is projected ahead of launch and may change. CISI examinations are open entry and their fees are set by the CISI and paid separately. ACSI membership is granted on application to the CISI after passing a qualifying examination, including its ethics assessment. Totals are estimates for guidance, not quotes.

What the CISI route provides
Demonstrates professional capital-markets knowledge
Supports applications for financial-services roles
Contributes towards employer competence requirements
Eligibility to apply for Associate membership and the ACSI letters, where membership requirements are met
Subject to application, membership requirements, integrity requirements and the CISI’s current rules.
What it does not itself authorise
Managing client assets
Providing regulated investment advice
Conducting regulated investment business
Relevant firm authorisation, regulatory permissions, employment, supervision and competence requirements may also apply.
05 · The same three years

Two people start today. Watch what happens.

Same ambition, same starting line, two different pathways. This is what the next three years look like on each.

The traditional route
Months 1 to 12First year. Lecture theatres, textbook markets, introductory theory. Tuition: £9,790.
Months 13 to 24Second year. More theory and case studies. The debt grows.
Months 25 to 36Final year. Dissertation, exams, grad-scheme applications against thousands of others.
Month 36 · Graduation£29,370 in tuition spent. Still never placed a trade on a live floor, and still without professional capital-markets qualifications.
Months 37 to 42+ · The CISI exams, at lastTo work with client or institutional capital they must now sit the same CISI exams, studying during their first year on the job. Reaching the relevant CISI qualification stage around month 42 at the earliest.
The CLF pathway
Weekend 1 · Level 2Two days taught live on a trading floor or online. £120 all-in: training, exam, certificate, plus a 30-day Stargate trial and two live webinars a week.
Month 1 · Level 3 beginsThe method, taught live by working traders. Stargate switched on around you.
Months 2 to 4 · MentorshipTrading it live under guidance, on your own capital and towards funded accounts.
Month 5 · Qualified for your own capitalLevel 3 qualification. Trading your own account generally does not require FCA authorisation on this track.
Months 6 to 8 · Towards regulated rolesLevel 5 Diploma in Financial Trading plus the CISI exams, launching soon, progress towards regulated capital-markets roles. Potentially reach the same relevant CISI qualification stage around month 8 that the graduate reaches around month 42.
Potentially 34 months sooner
Different education routes towards relevant professional capital-markets qualifications.
Traditional route
~42+ months
£29,370 tuition + CISI exam fees
vs
CLF pathway
7 to 8 months
From £8,020 + CISI exam fees
34+ months sooner£21,350 lessRelevant professional qualification route
Estimated figures for illustration. Actual costs and timings vary by person, pace and provider pricing.

All figures and timelines on this page are estimates for illustration only and will vary by person, provider, pace and pricing at the time; nothing here is a promise. Timeline compares a standard three-year English degree at the 2026/27 tuition cap with the Level 2, Level 3 and Level 5 route; Level 5 and CISI preparation launch soon. Graduate timing assumes CISI examinations taken during the first year of employment; the examinations are open entry, and ACSI membership follows on application to the CISI. CISI examination fees apply equally on both routes. Education cost comparison only, not a statement about trading income or outcomes.

06 · Head to head

The traditional route vs the CLF pathway.

What you are comparing
CLF pathway
Traditional route
Cost to a professional qualification
From £4,520
£29,370 tuition alone
Time to qualified
Around 5 months
3 years minimum
Entry requirements
None, all levels welcome
Grades, UCAS, interviews
Time on a live trading floor
From day one
Usually never
Taught by active traders
Every session
Academics, mostly
Route to funded capital
Built into the pathway
Not part of the course
Highest qualification on the ladder
Level 5 Diploma in Financial Trading + Level 7, coming soon
BSc after three full years
Qualifications supporting professional capital-markets roles
CISI exam prep built in, launching soon
None, CISI still needed after hiring
Professional designation
Route to ACSI letters after your name
Standard graduate status
Learning style
Live floors, recorded modules, Stargate support
Lecture theatres, textbooks, essays
Study from anywhere in the world
Live online, every level
Campus based

Traditional route figures based on the 2026/27 English undergraduate tuition cap of £9,790 per year over a three-year degree, excluding living costs. CLF figure: Level 2 full deal (£120) plus Level 3 with a senior trader (£4,400).

07 · What you keep

Different routes. Keep the difference.

Comparing the stated CLF pathway with an illustrative three-year undergraduate route, the CLF pathway costs a fraction of the traditional route, and gives you back the years.

£24,850
Saved vs UK degree tuition, reaching qualified trader (Level 2 + Level 3)
£61,480
Saved vs typical international student tuition, same comparison
31 mo
Qualified in month 5 instead of month 36
£120
Where the entire pathway starts

Illustrative, estimated comparisons of education costs only; actual figures vary by person, provider and year. UK figure: £29,370 (three years at the 2026/27 English tuition cap of £9,790) minus the £4,520 Level 2 + Level 3 route with a senior trader. International figure: circa £22,000 per year UCAS guide estimate over three years (£66,000), minus the same route. Continuing to the full professional-qualification route (from £8,020) still saves £21,350 against UK tuition alone, before the graduate has paid for their CISI exams. Living costs excluded throughout. Not a statement about trading income or outcomes.

08 · The professional-qualification gap

Here is what nobody tells you: a degree still leaves the professional exams ahead.

Finish a three-year finance degree at a top university and the CISI examinations that regulated firms typically require are still ahead of you. Your first employer will sit you down, in your first year on the job, to study for the exams you could have already passed. The exams themselves are open entry; what takes years is becoming someone who deserves to pass them. We build the trader first, then add the letters.

The graduate at month 36
  • Holds a degree; CISI examinations still ahead
  • Sits CISI exams after being hired
  • Enters the market as a standard graduate
The CLF pathway at month 8
  • Level 5 Diploma in Financial Trading, foundation-degree equivalent
  • CISI Level 3 Certificate, arriving with the professional qualification already completed
  • ACSI letters after your name on application to the Chartered Institute
Higher rungs launching soon

The full CLF-to-CISI career pathway, from your first weekend to the relevant CISI qualification stage, is estimated at from £8,020 in qualifications (or around £3,620 if you already trade your own strategy), plus CISI examination fees, in roughly 7 to 8 months, with exact costs and timings varying by person and pace. The traditional route costs £29,370 in tuition alone, takes three years, and still leaves the professional examinations to do afterwards.

The CISI is recognised by regulators in 50+ countriesLondonDubaiSingaporeHong Kong

Level 5 and CISI preparation are launching soon; figures shown are projected full-pathway costs. In North America the market leans on its own FINRA examinations instead. Education cost comparison only, not a statement about employment or income outcomes.

09 · The old pathways

Three common routes into trading—and where each one falls short.

Route one

The finance degree

Three years and £29,370 in tuition alone before living costs. You graduate with theory, a debt, and still no time on a live trading floor. Markets are often taught from textbooks rather than live floors.

3+ years£29,370+ tuitionNo live trading
Route two

The city grad scheme

Requires the degree first, then survives on connections and luck. Thousands of applicants per seat, often gatekept by background as much as ability. Most people never get an interview, let alone a desk.

Degree requiredUltra competitiveGatekept
Route three

The YouTube education

Free, endless, and unstructured. No syllabus, no assessment, no accreditation, and no one accountable when the "guru" is wrong. The market becomes your tutor, and it charges by the mistake.

No structureNo accreditationPaid in mistakes
10 · A straight answer

Which route is actually right for you?

We will be honest about the one thing universities still do better: campus recruitment. Global banks visit top campuses to hire. On our pathway, you open doors yourself, with recognised qualifications and letters they cannot ignore. Here is the honest split.

You want to trade from home, funded

Focus entirely on the Level 2 and Level 3 track. Prop-firm arrangements are based on proven skill rather than FCA authorisation, so bypassing the CISI entirely can save you time and money. This track is live today.

Start with Level 2 · £120
You want a bank or fund career in the UK, Europe or Middle East

Complete the CLF route to Level 5, then the CISI and ACSI designation. Two roads there: Level 2, 3 and 5 if you are building from zero, or Level 2 straight to Level 5 if you already have your own strategy. Start now so you are ready when Level 5 launches.

You want Wall Street or global research

Honestly? That world still runs on the traditional university degree paired with the CFA, a multi-year academic route into deep corporate analysis. If that is the dream, we will not pretend otherwise. For everything else, we built this.

11 · From anywhere

Six floors. Four countries. Or your desk at home.

Every level is delivered live, in person on our trading floors in London, New York, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, or live online from anywhere in the world. Same mentors, same sessions, same qualification, whichever chair you sit in.

London
Headquarters · 2 floors
New York
Trump Building, 40 Wall St
Dubai
The Opus, Business Bay
Kuala Lumpur
Trading floor
Everywhere else
Live online · all levels · all time zones

The new pathway is open. The door costs £120.

Every qualified trader in our community started exactly here. Two days, taught live, no experience needed.

Start the pathway · £120Level 2 · accredited · from anywhere in the world
Start now
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