Finance Apprentice Review

I work in 'P2P' which revolves around dealing with invoices which we owe to other companies. My team and I help to resolve issues that members of the business are having with approving invoices in CERPs and also ensuring invoices are paid on time. I have also become involved in developing improvement ideas which will help P2P run smoother.

This apprenticeship has helped to build my confidence in my abilities and it has also helped to develop my people skills. As well as this I am also completing my CIMA Certificate which is a level 4 qualification in management accounting.

I enjoy working with my team and everyone is very welcoming and happy to help. GSK has good values and they try to ensure the day isn't all about work work work. I had high expectations for the programme so I have been slightly let down but I've learnt that to get the most out of this you need to push yourself to get involved in new areas and not just sit back.

I feel quite valued as the majority of people are very thankful when you help them and like to let my manager know when I'm doing well. My managers also make sure that they're encouraging and show their appreciation.

When I started this programme is was quite disorganised as there was a miscommunication between the apprenticeship organiser and my team. However, my manager has now made sure that I have all the training I need and support to get involved in new tasks.

My training provider is Kaplan and I have meetings either face to face or over the phone every month or so. She is also always happy to help with any queries I have regarding the qualification side of my apprenticeship.

My manager is very supportive and so are all my other team members. Also the managers higher up come across as approachable and I feel like everyone is happy to help if there's something I'm stuck with or want to become involved in.

My salary allows me to be able to save and still have money to spend on having a social life. I live at home so have little living costs so I'm not sure how far it would go if I lived away from home. However, they do also contribute towards travel costs which is very useful.

There are many 'working groups' which organise different activities for the employees and their are also company activities organised for our whole building and also P2P (the area I work in).

Yes

They're a good, well known company to work for who will offer support to help to try out different areas. They also sponsor your CIMA qualification which is highly recognised.

Ensure that you show any experience you have in your application and also make sure you proof read it before you send it off! On the assessment day ensure you're well prepared but don't panic! Come across cool but confident and keep smiling and you'll be fine.