JASON Gallian is banking - literally - on Essex having a bright future after choosing to end his playing days with the county.

For the 36-year-old, who has moved to the Ford County Ground from Nottinghamshire on a two-year-deal, has already started making plans for a second career in the City of London once his playing days are over.

But before he starts working for Clydesdale Bank, where Gallian spent the winter, full-time, the former England batsman has vowed to help Essex's young side realise their potential.

"I know where I'm at. I feel I have a good couple of years left in me yet, and I wanted to contribute more, especially in the one-day sides," said Australian-born Gallian, who joined Essex after discussing the move with former captain Ronnie Irani and first-team coach Paul Grayson.

"I'd gone full-circle with Notts. I'd had the captaincy and won the trophies and now with the young guys who are coming through here, I can pass on my experience of being successful at this level.

"It's an opportunity for me. I like the role of responsibilty and looking after the young guys and hopefully I can do just that."

Gallian began his career at Lancashire back in 1990. Since then, the talented right-hander has scored more than 20,000 runs and hit an impressive 44 centuries.

Last season, he was an ever-present as Nottinghamshire, who he joined in 1997 and captained between 1998 and 2002 and again in 2004, clinched promotion to LV County Championship Division One.

And Gallian is now hoping to repeat that trick with Essex.

"I started at Lancashire all those years ago and I remember Essex being a good, competitive side with youngsters coming through," added the amiable opener, who has earmarked young batsmen Varun Chopra and Tom Westley as players to watch.

"And I can't see it being any different now except that it's a bit of a transitional period with a few more youngsters.

"But in a couple of years, they'll be back to where they want to be and hopefully I can be a part of that."

Gallian also believes the new format of championship cricket, with 96 overs being crammed into six hours of playing time each day, will encourage sides to go for victory when they may previously have settled for a draw.

"The Second Division is very interesting. They have very open games as teams go out to get results, whereas Division One is more draw-orientated," he observed.

"Now we're going into two-hour sessions, the games will become even more intense and sides will want to get on with it, bowl sides out and batsman will be looking to score their runs more quickly.

"So not only will it be more open, but also more interesting for the spectators as well."

While Gallian's runs will be important in helping Essex secure those victories, his experience will also be vital in helping captain Mark Pettini recover from an indifferent 2007.

The skipper struggled for form after being thrust into the captaincy following Ronnie Irani's sudden retirement, but Gallian believes he can bounce back, with the right support, this summer.

"Looking at the Essex players, even though they're young they have played a lot of cricket for their ages and Mark is no exception," said the veteran, who will embark on a career in banking when his playing career ends next summer after taking advantage of a Professional Cricketers' Association initiative over the winter.

"He had a little blip in form last year, but that could have been the pressure of captaincy.

"I'm here if he needs me and have that experience but the one thing I have said to him is that he has to do things his own way because if you don't, you'll never learn from your own mistakes.

"If you do, then that'll make you a very good captain."