Finance Analyst Review

As a financial analyst in the T&E team (Travel and expenses) my daily routine consists of processing expense reports from internal customers. This is known as “front end auditing” in which I examine if employees are complying to company policies when submitting expenses for the countries of Germany and the UKI region. I also process the receipts which come from Portugal into our systems. Smaller tasks I do on a daily basis are; sending new employees welcome emails, raising and answering queries for employees and send billable reports for the French region.

In my role as an apprentice, my communication skills have developed significantly allowing me to interact better with my colleagues. This has also been reflective on my communication outside of work. As well as this, my attention to detail has increased as I have had to take up and conduct important processes which are necessary for the company to run smoothly therefore it is important to be attentive to minimise the amount of mistakes made as these processes are irreversible.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the programme as I have benefitted from it far more than I thought I would initially. As well as being molded as a young professional ready for the rest of your career, I have learnt many things which I can implement in my life on a daily basis. I am also lucky to have a team which are not shy to give advice and help me when needed.

I believe my programme is structured well. At the beginning of my programme, we were given a 2 week induction and a further 2 weeks when introduced to our teams to allow us to have enough time to settle in and be comfortable with what each member does. The course aspect is also organised well allowing us to have a good balance of work and work for the course having a day each week we attend classes to do our AAT work. It’s also highly organised at the workplace as training is given when needed, e.g. when learning new processes.

I believe I am given sufficient support from my employer as they have set up a system in which a mentor has put in place for me for when imminent support is needed. The support given by my mentor can also be equally given by any member in my team

My training provider provides sufficient support, providing learning aids for the course, e.g. textbooks and workbooks. We were also given access to the AAT website as members which provides additional information on the course which the book may not. My tutor also encourages us to communicate with them when hardships with the course may arise

There are sections in the theory we learn on the course which directly mirrors some processes I conduct at my workplace. This gives me further knowledge on the subject when having to conduct it, putting theory into practice, also allowing me to perform it to the best of my abilities.

Outside of work, I play football, basketball and attend the gym. I also have a strong passion for music, being able to play the drums and the piano. I have a group of friends with similar interests in music, so in my free time, we make music together, and also perform.

Yes

I would definitely recommend Sage to a friend as I believe that this company builds you into building a model professional for any career path you are planning to take, being prepared for anything. As well as this the people who you are surrounded by aid towards this. The employees are all friendly and caring.

When applying to Sage, ensure you do sufficient research for the company and the different stages of the interview process as there is no such thing as being too prepared. Putting the right amount of preparation in will allow you to tackle anything that will be thrown at you along the way. For example, put yourself in “mock interview” scenarios where you can prepare answers, look up what other people experienced in their interviews as the same could happen to you. Essentially, just ensure you place yourself in a position where you are ready before the day itself