Career Information & E-Recruitment

A Day in the Life of a Trainee Accounting Technician

As a trainee accounting technician it’s my job to prepare accounts for small businesses in and around Leeds and Yorkshire. A normal day will be spent analysing cashbooks, statements and invoices, as well as summarising all this information into working papers, which we then upload onto our computer software. In my day-to-day work I’m constantly referring back to the working papers and the accounts on the computer to make sure there are no discrepancies.

I work on accounts for a variety of sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, over a broad range of different sectors, ranging from farming to property. I enjoyed maths and finance at school, so a career in accounting always seemed like a good match for me.

Since I’ve been working I have really enjoyed the problem solving aspects of the job. Every time I come up against something, I can learn from it and apply this knowledge to future jobs. I have to be analytical and must have a strong eye-for-detail when matching figures up. It’s also important to be a good communicator and build up good client relations. I have definitely enjoyed getting to know my clients better. 

I usually spend around one day per week at Kaplan Financial for training, which involves classroom tuition and regular exams. I mostly tend to study on the weekends. It does take time to get used to studying and working. It’s very different to school, as you work longer in the week so have less time in the evening. It’s important to be strong-willed and ensure that you study for the exams. Sometimes it can be hard, but I find the workload manageable and I still find time to socialise, both with work colleagues and my other friends.

I have a manager who reviews all my work and discusses any issues which arise on each job. I also have appraisals twice a year at work, and regular review meetings at Kaplan Financial to track my progress. It’s nice to have this support network and to feel that I’m progressing with my apprenticeship programme. I have already passed the first level of AAT, so I can see how far I’ve progressed in such a short space of time.

I usually finish work around 5pm and I take a 30 minute lunch break; however, Mazars are a flexible company to work for and it’s good to manage my own workload. I have to do 37.5 hours each week at work, and I also have to spend some extra time on top of this to revise for exams.

Even though some days can be long I’ve never once regretted my decision. Some people are quite surprised to realise that I got five university offers but I decided against the traditional university route.

Mazars is one of Europe’s largest accounting firms and has offices in 67 countries worldwide. It feels great to be part of that team and to be part of a rapidly growing firm. I will also qualify as a Chartered Accountant a year sooner by taking this route and will have no debt at the end of it, which is obviously a really great feeling when I finish work each night.

Written by Simon Lock

Trainee Accountant @ Mazars

To find out more about qualifying with AAT, check out: www.aat.org.uk