Account Assistant Review

My job title is Accounts assistant. My daily tasks involve preparing financial statements for a variety of clients in a plethora of industries, as well as preparing their corporation tax computations. On other clients I provide a bookkeeping role to help take the processing element out of their hands so they can focus on what they are passionate about; their business. Internally I interact with my managers and team as well as occasionally crossing over to the tax or audit team when I need specialist information. Externally, I am constantly in contact with the client I am working on to get information for the accounts or get them to sign once they are completed. Every day I have a different role which keeps the job refreshing and exciting.

During my short time here I have completed the key modules of level two AAT and have moved onto level three and will have that completed by the end of this year. Internally, we have a lot of opportunity through drop in sessions and regular updates that keep us informed about the business. I have also gained a lot of new skills on software such as caseware and Alphatax which I use to complete my daily tasks.

My programme may be the best decision I have made. The team has been nothing short of excellent in welcoming me to the firm and the work is always fresh and interesting. The office culture is relaxed and welcoming and it has exceeded all expectations. I thoroughly enjoy my time here and cannot wait to see where the future takes me.

My managerial team provide regular feedback to myself on every job so I always know of areas where I have gone wrong and can amend. They have also nominated me for awards such as the school leaver of the year, which I am shortlisted as one of the final ten for. This makes me feel extremely valued and thankful for the appreciation. I am also normally the only one working on a job at one time so it gives me the responsibility and helps me learn and grow.

My programme is extremely well organised. The first four days on the job you spend with all of the new intake from all of the offices across the UK and get a full induction into the Company. Once I started my exams I was assigned a talent coach who regularly meets with me and discusses all my training opportunities. I have also been assigned a mentor within my team who I meet and discuss how I am finding everything, this is a great way to get to understand the business from someone who went through the same programme that I have.

I have been assigned a talent coach who I have regular meetings with and is always accessible and willing to help me and advise me on my training. Whilst attending the courses the lecturers are all well informed and easy to get on with and learn from. I have not had any problems as of yet but they seem well prepared to handle any that I may have.

The managers are always willing to sit down with me and discuss my training. They advise and construct my learning plan with me and have been a vital part of my learning. They are always willing to offer any guidance and being coupled with the mentor has only helped support me.

My Salary is sufficient for my role and covers my living costs, travel and daily spends well. This leaves me with a healthy amount for any social activities I want to get involved with.

I have attended a fair few networking events through my work, which ahs only helped build my network and meet young professionals like myself. The Company also offers a lot of activities throughout the year such as football, basketball and table tennis events. We also do a lot of charity work locally as well as a UK firm as a whole.

Yes

A programme like this helps you build your career from the ground up. You can come into this role never having worked in any finance and be guided and mentored to help you reach whatever goals you set yourself. The mix of work, study and getting paid is a great incentive and I would champion this idea to anyone who was thinking of taking a similar path.

Understand the business, know the sector you are getting into and have an idea of where you want to go with it. You set the goals of your career and Mazars will give you every opportunity to achieve all that you have set out. Do not complete the application process in two halves or when there is any possibility of distraction and be confident in your abilities during the interview. On the assessment day be yourself and value everyone's opinion whilst also providing your own. Good luck.