Prop traders need the SIE + Series 57 now. There are no shops in Tennessee, why would there be? As for my advice on when joining a prop firm make sense? That is a conversation for another time. One of these days I'll find the time to write a post about it for this forum.
April 17, 2012 quote from Don Bright... Seems that at the very least there is a $750 fee, if it hasn't gone up in the last seven years. And do you have to be sponsored to take any of the exams Bright Trading requires (i.e., the Securities Industry Essentials exam, Series 7, and/or Series 57). If so, do they do the sponsoring or do you have to look elsewhere? The initial information they provide does not make this clear.
Look harder, I assure you it's there. Anyone can take the SIE, you don't need to be sponsored. After that, you will need a firm to sponsor you for the 57. Finra requires that firms have the intent to hire you if they are sponsoring you for a licensing exam.