Before starting at Kreston Reeves, I worked part time in retail while studying Business, Sociology and Politics at A-Level. I started my Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB) in December 2019, and completed the qualification in November 2020 – CFAB is the first six exams of the ACA Qualification (Certificate Level). I have recently started my Professional Level studies and will hopefully be a fully qualified ICAEW Chartered Accountant in 2023. Alongside these courses, I have also attended several soft skills training courses.

What is your role?

My job role mainly includes the preparation of year end accounts for unincorporated and incorporated businesses; however, I am involved in a range of other work too including Client Money Examinations, which is basically a specialised Solicitor’s audit. I have recently began helping with the preparation of personal and partnership tax returns. When our new starter joined our team, I was given the responsibility to train her, and we both assist the outsourcing department with client bookkeeping, and VAT Returns.

I am also a member of my firm’s staff forum, where representatives from each office meet with the HR department, giving us an opportunity to share ideas, office updates and any issues that may have arisen on our constituent’s behalf. Alongside this I have an active role in my offices’ CSR activities, aiming to raise funds specifically for our office charity. To summarise, my role covers a range of areas and every day brings new opportunities and new challenges

Is it a 9-5?

In a sense yes. I work Monday – Friday 8am -4:30pm, totally 37.5 hours a week. When I first started, I was working 9am – 5:30pm, but like a lot of students in the firm, I chose to change my hours, so I have more time in the evenings for studying. I had people saying to me before I started “why would you want to work 9-5, you’re only 18”, an apprenticeship isn’t just a 9-5, it’s so much more than that.

Any advice?

I could give a lot of advice, based on my experience as a trainee. To keep it short and sweet I would say: do not be afraid to ask questions, you are there to learn. There is no such thing as a silly question, if there is something you are worried about or can’t quite grasp, just reach out and ask someone, I’m sure you aren’t the first and definitely will not be the last.