Rating
- 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
- 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
- 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
- 4. How well organised/structured is your programme?
- 5. How much support do you receive from your employer?
- 6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
- 7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
- 8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
- 9a. Would you recommend University of Oxford to a friend?
- 9b. Why?
- 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to University of Oxford?
On a day to day basis I deal with requisitions and expense claims, making sure that they are suitable to be sent for further approval. I also am responsible for going through old purchase orders, finding out any issues with them like why they aren’t closed and getting them closed.
I have learnt how to use computer systems useful for finance and accounting, such as SAP concur and Oracle. I have also learnt how to dig into problems and find out how best to solve a whole range of issues when it comes to old open purchase orders. I have learnt how the theory becomes reality.
I am enjoying the programme. At first it was difficult because I had not worked in an office before let alone in finance. However everyone has been extremely friendly and helpful and made me feel very welcome. There are days that are challenging but it helps develop and improve my skills.
The programme is fairly well structured. I have college one day a week and know what we are doing in advance. Work was less structured at first due to all the induction and set up as well as training on the systems but is much more structured now and there is routine.
I believe that I receive plenty of support from my employer. There is always someone to ask questions, whether my office manager, line manager or others. If one person is unable to answer my question then I know that there will be someone either in the office or in central that can answer them.
I receive all the support that I need. I have the teacher who is always willing to help and my apprenticeship training coordinator who is always available should any issues arise. I have never had any issue with the aat. There are plenty of resources online to help support my work towards the qualification.
I think that having a base or background, studying the theory of accounting helps with the day to day in the job as it helps me to understand why things are being done the way that they are. It helps to understand the processes that are used in the workplace.
There are extra-curricular events at work that people can join such as quiz nights and things like that at a departmental level. The university apprenticeship team also has their own events that are scheduled fairly regularly. As for professional networking events, these are also scheduled regularly for the university in general and for the finance section too.
Yes
The job is enjoyable and the people that I work with are friendly and helpful. The pay is very good for an apprenticeship and is up there with the highest pay rates. There are plenty of opportunity to develop and progress within the university which is good for the future.
Don’t give up hope. I applied for many apprentice finance roles within the university and was rejected from all of them until finally I got the interview for my current role. Also do your research on not only the university but the department that you are applying for as it shows your enthusiasm for working at that department.
Details
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Accounting
Oxford
February 2023