Joining the firm

I joined Saffery in 2011 as a trainee in the Tax Department. I was invited for an interview by the firm after my involvement in a school leaver scholarship programme with Kaplan Financial.

I attended an initial interview, followed by an online assessment. After this I had a second interview with the department senior manager and following this interview, I was offered the job.

First impressions

What attracted me to the firm was the wide variety of clients they act for and the fair structure in which they bill clients.

When I joined the High Wycombe office I was made to feel welcome and felt like a valued member of the team. From very early on in my career I was working alongside senior members of the department. The partners are approachable and I have been involved with a variety of work, which keeps it interesting and allows me to continually develop my knowledge with practical experience.

Life at Saffery

The culture of the firm is one of teamwork, with all the offices working together, providing opportunities throughout the year to meet colleagues from different teams across the firm. There is a friendly working environment and senior members of staff acknowledge ideas raised by junior members of staff.

Each office holds an annual ‘fun event’, where the staff and partners take part in social activities with colleagues outside of the office – doing everything from boat trips to an afternoon at the races.

Opportunities

The training contract offered by Saffery gives you the best opportunity for developing your experience and career within the firm. Along with giving you leave to attend college classes, the firm allows you time to complete course exams along with study leave before the actual exam.

In addition to attending college classes for your professional exams, the firm sends you on four residential training courses which you complete in the first two years of employment. These courses are extremely useful as they give trainees a better insight into how the firm works and allows you to meet colleagues from other offices.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to work on a variety of clients and it has allowed me to put my ATT studies into practice. In addition to working in the Tax Department, I have been given the opportunity to complete a number of accounts preparations along with attending audits.