Apprentice Job Vacancy

Employer Description

Whyfield is a well-established accounting and bookkeeping firm based in Threemilestone, which is just outside of Truro.  They offer support to businesses of all sizes including sole-traders, partnerships and limited companies.  The turnover of these businesses can range from several hundreds of pounds to several millions of pounds.

Specialisms within the team include tax, management accounting, payroll, year end accounts, self-assessment tax returns, VAT and capital gains tax.  In addition to this, the team offers expert business set-up support, growth advice and help with pensions auto-enrolment.  This means that you will have a really valuable opportunity to work across a wide range of areas and find out what you love!

The Whyfield team is very friendly and welcoming.  They enjoy meeting up outside of work.  They’ve recently been kayaking near Falmouth, run a charity bake sale, held a Christmas drinks party open to all 500 or so clients and even hired a cinema to organise a special screening of the film, the Accountant, for those clients that weren’t aware just how exciting the life of an accountant can be!

The successful applicant will have a great opportunity to join a young team that takes pride in their work and strives to offer the most approachable accounting and finance service in the south west.

The team members at Whyfield are very enthusiastic and love to develop their skills and expertise, so you’ll find colleagues studying towards their AAT qualifications, some working towards their ACCA and CIMA qualifications and others attending annual conferences to share their high level of expertise with the industry and learn more about trends within the accounting sector.  This means that you will be able to develop your knowledge and gain a competitive edge within your career.

Vacancy Description

Whyfield is looking for an aspiring accountant to join their knowledgeable and friendly team whilst completing their AAT Accounting qualification.

You will have the opportunity to develop your practical, technical and personal skills by carrying out a wide variety of tasks including:

• Year end accounts for sole-traders, partnerships and limited companies
• Bookkeeping, which involves reviewing and reconciling business transactions, so that clients can benefit from the ability to budget, forecast and plan for the future
• VAT calculations and returns
• Using software, such as SAGE, QuickBooks, Xero and Microsoft Excel
• Attending team meetings
• Engaging in regular communication with internal and external stakeholders by using the telephone, email and face-to-face meetings
• Maintaining an excellent relationship with clients by keeping them up to date on the financial health of their business and offering helpful advice

At Whyfield, we believe in giving you responsibility right from the start.  You will be engaging with clients and business owners from day one.

You will also have the opportunity to work independently and eventually manage your own portfolio of clients.

We know that this can be scary, so we will provide you will a full range of support including training and mentoring from an experienced staff member who will teach you the practical on-the-job skills that you need and regularly meet with you on a one-to-one basis in order to offer you guidance.

You will also have a fantastic opportunity to learn from a highly knowledgeable team that is keen to share what they have learnt from their many years of experience.

Qualifications Required:

• 5 GCSEs, including Maths and English, at grades A* to C
• It would be great if you have completed your AAT Level 2 and are already working towards Level 3, but this is not essential
• The most important thing, however, is that you are keen to begin a career in accounting, work directly with clients and develop your skills

Skills Required:

• Whyfield aren’t looking for someone with a long list of technical skills, as the team are happy to train their apprentices on the specialist details of accounting. They are more keen to hear from a super-friendly, approachable person that is willing to go the extra mile to offer a top quality service to clients
• It is important that you hold the ability to work well independently and as part of a team. You will often need to work with other team members in order to meet a deadline, but equally, there will be occasions when you will need to work independently in order to complete a task
• You might find the occasional client that has lost their receipts or missed an important deadline. This means that Whyfield are seeking apprentices that have good problem solving skills and know how to use their initiative
• Finally, you will need to be enthusiastic about accounting and keen to learn new skills

Working Week:

The Whyfield team generally work from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.  The business has rapidly grown in size and this means that there are often busy times of year.  Staff are given the opportunity to carry out additional paid overtime in order to meet client needs.

Weekly Wage:

Whyfield is pleased to be able to offer an initial wage of minimum wage to all apprentices working towards their AAT qualifications which will be increased following completion of a probationary period.

Other benefits include occasional company funded social events, pizza and the opportunity to attend a variety of fun networking events in the local area.

Future Prospects:

Whyfield would love to find an apprentice that is keen to stay with the organisation after completing their qualification.  You’ll have lots of experience and be well-qualified by the end of the training, so they would be thrilled to offer a permanent position to motivated apprentices with a positive attitude!

Whyfield’s most recent apprentice, Jess, is about to finish her last AAT exam.  The team are excited that she plans to remain at Whyfield and hold a more senior role within the company.

You will also have the opportunity to study towards additional qualifications, such as CIMA or ACCA.

Important Other Information:

The Whyfield office is very close to several bus routes.  There is also free car-parking on-site.

Question 1 (these questions will be answered by candidates):

What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?

Question 2:

Describe a time that something went wrong and explain how you dealt with it.

Key Dates for this Vacancy:

Closing date for applications – 16^th February 2018

Interview start date – 26^th February 2018

Position start date between 12^th March – 1^st April 2018