Warriors have helped club legend Jonny Arr to start a new career as a mortgage adviser.
Arr, 30, made his 318th and final appearance for Warriors in an emotional farewell to Sixways in the final Gallagher Premiership match of last season against Saracens in May.
Arr is now playing part-time rugby for Birmingham Moseley in National One and has just started work for Worcester-based Financial Advice Centre having completed qualifications as a mortgage adviser and beginning further qualifications last month.
With the help of Lynette Cutting, Warriors’ Education Officer, Arr identified a future career in financial services before he left Sixways. Cutting, a former further education college principal, used her contacts to put Arr in touch with the Financial Advice Centre and has continued to offer the scrum-half valuable career advice since he left Warriors.
“While I was still with Warriors Lynette talked to me about going into the financial services sector and then she put me in touch with various people in the industry,” Arr said.
“On the back of that I got in touch with George Roberts from The Financial Advice Centre in Worcester which then resulted in a few more conversations and I decided to join them.
“I have completed my exams so that I am now fully qualified to give mortgage advice. The long term plan is to become a financial adviser so I have got further exams to complete along the way before I do that and become an independent financial adviser.
“The exams and intense on the job training is happening over the next 12 months while I am working.”
Arr is the latest Warriors player to benefit from the welfare and development plans that Cutting puts in place and which are encouraged by the club’s co-owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring.
“Although I started my studying in June-July the wheels were already in motion while I was still with Warriors thanks to Lynette,” Arr said.
“It has given me the opportunity to look into what I want to do and to start to make that transition away from professional full time rugby.
“Whilst I want to keep playing – and I am playing at the moment – it has allowed me to prepare for a new career to dive into.
“The support from Warriors has made the transition much less daunting.
“I’m not saying it’s been easy at all. But thanks to the support that Warriors and Lynette give all of us to plan ahead, making that transition is easier.”