AAT Apprenticeship Opportunity - August 2024 start

In a nutshell

You'll join us as a trainee accountant on an apprenticeship. Over the next three years you’ll be supported to study for and achieve the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) professional qualification.

We are ranked number 28 on the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list 2023, making this a brilliant place to embark on your accountancy career.

What you'll be doing

One thing we can guarantee is that no two days will be the same. Every client is different, so you’ll be challenged with new opportunities daily. You’ll work across a variety of sectors, experiencing a wide range of high-quality clients, from start-ups, AIM-listed companies, and inspirational not-for-profit organisations.

As a trainee accountant you will work in either our business advisory teams or audit & assurance teams.

In business advisory, you’ll learn the fundamentals of bookkeeping and accounting. You’ll be helping our clients prepare year-end accounts, management accounts, forecasts, and projections. As you develop, you'll advance to managing budgets and evaluating financial performance, as well as personal and corporate tax.

In audit and assurance, you’ll regularly visit clients’ premises. You’ll be part of small project teams (typically 2-4 people) auditing a wide range of medium sized and large businesses, typically for one to two weeks at a time. This is a great way to learn and develop technical, commercial, and personal skills. You’ll identify key issues and risks facing our client businesses each year and use data analytics tools as part of ensuring information reported is accurate and reliable. You’ll also gain experience in preparing annual statutory accounts and tax calculations, as well as assessing forecasts and projections. 

Each year that you are with us, you will build upon the knowledge and experiences that you have gained and be given more responsibility as you grow and develop.

About You

You’ll enjoy this job if you like….

• Being analytical and methodical in your approach to work 
• Working with numbers
• Solving problems  
• Talking to people 
• Becoming an expert 
• Being a team player, surrounded by a fun and caring team 

Studying alongside working is demanding. As an AAT trainee accountant, you’ll need to do regular independent study outside of working hours and to revise for your professional exams. 

Your development

We recognise that personal development training is essential in helping you to become a trusted business adviser, so you will receive support and learning not only for your professional qualification but also towards the skills and behaviours that are required to be a successful accountant.

When you join us, you will be allocated a buddy.  You will have a line manager that will help ensure that you are on track with your professional qualification and career aspirations.

If you want to progress to higher level professional qualifications after you’ve achieved the AAT qualification, then we could enable further training. We offer the ACA accounting qualification and the CTA tax qualification; both award the prestigious ‘chartered’ status. Again, with these routes you earn while you learn, and we fully fund your studies.

What we’re looking for 

AAT apprenticeships are perfect for non-graduates looking to start an accountancy career. Whether you are finishing sixth form or college, or you’re already working and looking to switch and start a new career, then this is the route for you.

You’ll be expected to demonstrate the following: 

• Minimum of 112 UCAS points (obtained from three A Levels or equivalent excluding general studies) 
• Grade 4-9 or C or above in GCSE Maths and English. 

We recruit on a rolling basis for our opportunities and consider applications as we receive them. We recommend applying ASAP as we close roles early if we receive enough applications to fill all our opportunities. 

Why work at PKF Francis Clark

We’re the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisors in South West England. We have nine offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro.

The firm, which celebrated its centenary in 2019, has annual revenue of over £65 million and a 900-strong team based across our offices. Our continuing growth offers you the opportunity to expand and develop your career in a direction that interests you.

We offer a supportive and flexible culture, taking your career seriously to enable you to be the best you can be. Since September 2022, PKF Francis Clark has been certified as a Great Place to Work.

We work hard to ensure that ours is a culture where you can be yourself, develop and be part of a forward-thinking team that makes brilliant things happen. We ranked as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces in 2023, and again in 2024 when we rose nine places to 24^th in the list of the UK’s Best Workplaces (Large Organisations).

We’ve also been ranked 46^th out of 89 in the UK’s Best Workplaces for Women 2023 (Large Organisations) and 40^th out of 79 in the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing 2023 (Large Organisations). PKF Francis Clark has been highlighted as a top achiever among the UK’s Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services by workplace culture experts Great Place to Work.

And in recognition of our outstanding training programmes for graduates, school leavers and career changers, we’re ranked 28^th among England’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers by the Department of Education and High Fliers Research.

Whilst we’re proudly independent, PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of  firms, which together are ranked as the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK by Accountancy Age. As part of a global community of business advisors in 150 countries, the opportunities to expand your horizons by connecting with PKF colleagues around the world are endless.

Your core benefits 

Financial benefits:
•    Pension
•    Group life assurance - up to four times your core salary
•    Group income protection
•    Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare 

Health & Wellbeing benefits:
•    Option to buy 5 extra days holiday*
•    Counselling and support for you and your immediate family
•    Virtual GP for you and your immediate family
•    Cycle to work*

Other benefits:
•    Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts
•    Gifts for career and family milestones
•    One volunteering day per year to support local organisations
•    Emergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation 

Please note
* These benefits are provided via a salary exchange and are subject to employee’s post exchange hourly rate remaining above the national minimum wage.