"I walked out of there knowing that was the job I was supposed to have. By the time I got home, an offer was waiting in my inbox."
At the age of 19, she joined Colyer Associates on November 24, 2014.
Were those your lucky heels?
She has never worn those heels again. "No. I thew them out. The office has marble and stone floor so heels means the noise drives everyone up the wall, including myself."
But she threw herself into the job, working with husband-and-wife team Pam and Michael Colyer, who had set up the firm some 16 years ago.
They had one full-time paraplanner, and Draycott's role was to be the first step in growing the business.
She says: "You do start at the bottom as an apprentice, but Pam was giving me lots of projects to help her with, and Helen, who was the paraplanner at the time, used to get me to sit with her to learn on the job.
"Pretty soon people were giving me cases to write up and asking me to find out information. I would phone St James's Place, which has business assurance and advice guidance schemes and protection helplines.
"I would ring up and get answers and fill in application forms. Because of this, within six months I was learning technical stuff and doing paraplanning."
Moving on up
Within a year, Draycott started to study for the Personal Finance Society exams, and took her first one in 2015. "I love pensions - that was a godsend. I enjoyed that exam", she says.
"I've always been inquisitive. I always enjoyed learning. You can be 80 and have worked 60 years in this industry and still there is stuff to learn."
She also likes learning about the clients, and sometimes finding out bits of information that they might not have told the advisers or thought to tell them. but which might have an impact on their finances.
Draycott says: "You know, sometimes they say they're having a big kitchen extension done or that there's a new grandchild on the way. I let Michael know so he can factor these into his conversations."
But while she has been studying, she does not want to be front-office. "I am a big believer that financial advice firms should have two faces - front of office, and back office.
"I am good at checking figure and chasing information and making phone calls and finding out information. Being front of others is not for me.
