Graduate Trainee Accountant (ACA) - August 2024

  • Job Reference: PKF/ACA - Bristol
  • Date Posted: 1 September 2023
  • Recruiter: PKF Francis Clark LLP
  • Location: Bristol
  • Remote Working: Some remote working possible
  • Salary: On Application
  • Sector: Accounting, Banking & Financial Services
  • Job Type: Permanent
  • Work Hours: Full Time

Job Description

In a nutshell 

You'll join our three-year training programme to become a Chartered Accountant (ACA).  You’ll earn while you learn, working whilst studying. We pay for all your training and qualifications and support you every step of the way. 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 audit & assurance, business advisory or professional practices teams. 

Our audit & assurance teams regularly visit clients’ premises, so every day is different. You get to work in small project teams (typically 2-4 people) on a wide range of medium sized and large businesses for 1-2 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 a business 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.  

 Our business advisory teams help our clients prepare year-end accounts, management accounts, forecasts, and projections. You’ll be able to get involved in areas such as company and business taxation, company secretarial matters and VAT returns. Therefore, you’ll gain a breadth of commercial, tax and general accountancy experience in this role. 

 Our professional practices teams are leading specialists, supporting law firms, doctors, and a range of other professionals with all the financial information and advice they need to successfully manage their business. You’ll gain a great range of experience, including accounting, tax (partnership, company and personal), audit and preparing analysis, forecasts, and projections. 

Our hybrid working enables you to split your time between the office, home, and client sites. As a trainee you’ll attend the office frequently for formal training and on-the-job learning – and with our caring and open culture you’ll very quickly feel like a valued member of the team. 

 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 ACA 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. You will be allocated a buddy before you start with us. When you join us you will have a line manager and a student counsellor who will help ensure that you are on track with your professional qualification and career aspirations. 

 What we’re looking for 

You might be an undergraduate, a recent graduate, or a graduate who has already established a career and wants to switch and start a new career in accountancy. You’ll be expected to demonstrate the following: 

  • On track to achieve or have obtained a 2.2 or above in any degree discipline
  • 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. 

Click APPLY NOW to submit your application.