Every day is different in my role. One day I could be preparing Statutory Accounts for a company which are filed on Companies House, and another day I could be assisting a client to review and improve their systems, controls and processes.
Outside of the day-to-day Audit and Accounts work, I help to contribute to the Junior Trainees continual professional development including presenting staff training courses to broaden Excel skills. I also show clients how to use new software such as QuickBooks effectively within their businesses.
I studied Accountancy at the Sixth Form College Farnborough and this was by far my most favourite subject! The structured and methodical approach really appealed to me, and I was fortunate to explore this career further by attending insight days and a week of work experience at Bessler Hendrie which cemented my reason for joining the firm.
Studying for 15 exams and working full time is certainly challenging, however I could not thank my family, friends, and everyone at Bessler Hendrie enough for their continued support throughout my ACA journey.
The firm allows all staff that are studying for various accountancy qualifications plenty of time off to attend college courses, so I was able to concentrate on these days and dedicate my full attention to learning new information. Everyone was very considerate of the additional revision pressure I had and made sure I had plenty of time in the evenings to study.
Bessler Hendrie also offer flexible working hours which meant I could start work at 8am and finish by 4:30pm, which gave me plenty of time to revise in the evenings.
I graduated from the University of Nottingham and joined Bessler Hendrie thereafter under a 3-year ACA training programme as recommended by ICAEW. Under the Level 7 apprenticeship scheme, I was able to receive my ACA qualification and gain the additional skills required for working in practice.
The apprenticeship scheme also offered college based skills days which developed your presentational, group working and analytical skills which are useful for my day-to-day role and as I become more Senior within the firm.
The part I thrive most on, is that every day is different due to the range of work within practice. No one day is the same and I’m constantly learning as we work on projects that could span Personal and Corporate Tax, Audit and Accounts work and how the treatment of these elements for one client all interconnect with each other.
I am also passionate about the use of technology and software within Accountancy which is continually developing. I most look forward to days where I am working with clients to share my knowledge of the available technology and advise how their business could adapt their systems and processes to incorporate these to bring efficiencies into their day-to-day roles. Technology is improving on a daily basis and I am always keen to stay abreast of the ever changing environment and share this with our clients.
There are many skills that are useful in this profession, some of the key ones being: time management, good communication and people skills, computer literacy, attention to detail and the ability to manage and take responsibility for your own workload.
As I’ve become more Senior, I’m also learning that being able to communicate clearly and confidently with Clients is key. Building rapport with Clients and tailoring my communications with them helps our team to do the best possible work, have the information we require in a timely manner and address any queries with sensitivity.
As a training firm, there are so many opportunities to learn and develop your knowledge further, including supporting and developing more Junior staff. Learning how to support and develop your peers is key to progression within Accountancy, as each more senior role requires an element of this.
I am currently working at Bessler Hendrie with an open mind and looking forward to opportunities to progress upwards within the firm.
Training in a small firm such as Bessler Hendrie is certainly one of the best decisions I have made. In a closer-knit working environment, the whole team can appreciate and support your growth which certainly helps with progressing quickly within the firm. Everyone also has a role to play so it feels like you are given more responsibility at an earlier stage.
Furthermore, the small firm environment gives you a broader range of opportunities to work with clients as well as a broader range of engagements from preparing Statutory Accounts, to completing a wide range of audit work or completing day to day bookkeeping, management accounts or VAT Returns – there is an endless range of work across such a broad range of clients in different industries.