What can you do with an accounting apprenticeship?

Joanna, Molly and Sarah giving a talk about accounting apprenticeships

Embarking on an accounting apprenticeship can open doors to a diverse range of career paths and specialisations.

In this blog, we’ll explore the different career paths you can take with an accounting apprenticeship. We’ll also hear first-hand from Joanna, Molly and Sarah about where their accounting qualifications have taken them, dipping into the wide range of careers on offer.

Whether you’re set on doing an accounting apprenticeship or just curious about the possibilities, this blog will provide valuable insights. Let’s dive in and discover the diverse world of accounting and tax careers!

What accounting apprenticeships are available?

At PKF Francis Clark we offer three brilliant accounting apprenticeship opportunities.

Whether you’re a school leaver, a graduate, or looking for a career change, we have the perfect accounting apprenticeship for you:

AAT apprenticeship (levels 3 and 4) – on completion you become a qualified accountant
ACA apprenticeship (level 7) – on completion you become a Chartered Accountant
ATT/CTA tax apprenticeship (level 7) – on completion you become a Chartered Tax Advisor

With all our accounting apprenticeships you’ll earn while you learn. As the largest independent chartered accountancy firm in the South West we offer excellent career progression opportunities. Let’s take a closer look at some of the exciting specialisms you can pursue with your accounting apprenticeship.

In practice, you’ll be able to start on your specialism while you’re pursuing your accounting apprenticeship. You can gain hands-on experience and build valuable knowledge in your chosen area, even while you work towards your qualification.

What career paths could you pursue with an accounting apprenticeship?

After completing your accounting apprenticeship, you’ll find that the world of accounting offers a wide range of specialisms. Whether you’re interested in audit and assurance, business advisory, corporate finance, or tax, there are numerous paths you can take. Let’s take a closer look at some of the exciting specialisms available.

At PKF Francis Clark we have a large business advisory team. They prepare accounts and tax returns for companies, sole traders, and partnerships.

The team also provide expert advice to help businesses improve their performance. This can include a wide range of services such as strategic planning, financial management, risk assessment, and operational efficiency. They typically work with small and medium sized business to understand their unique challenges, helping to drive their success.

Sarah, Manager in the business advisory team

“My daily tasks include preparing accounts and tax returns for companies, sole traders, and partnerships. We’re the general practitioners of accounting! If you’re doing an accounting apprenticeship you’ll develop a broad base of accounting skills in this team.

“I joined PKF Francis Clark four years ago, I’d completed my accounting apprenticeship elsewhere and joined in a manager role. I supervise a small team and work closely with apprentices, managing our workloads and supporting them as they progress through their accounting apprenticeship.

“In addition to our daily tasks, we handle special one-off projects such as business incorporations, shareholder exits, business sales, and inheritance tax advice. Depending on the task, we can easily call on specialist colleagues to help!

“The best things about my job are:

I work with fantastic colleagues
I get to meet lots of people and share my experience to support my clients
I enjoy training junior team members – seeing them grow into great accountants!
No two clients are the same, so every day is different!”

Audit and assurance involves a thorough review of financial records and systems to ensure they are valid and reliable. You’ll regularly go out to client sites, so working in audit alongside doing an accounting apprenticeship allows you to develop a broad understanding of various industries and go behind-the-scenes at different businesses.

Auditors check the accuracy of financial statements, assess internal controls, and provide insights to help improve business operations. They also help clients to ensure compliance with specific regulations, such as the Solicitors Accounts Rules.

Molly, Assistant manager in the audit team

“I’ve been with PKF Francis Clark for four years. I was a teacher until I joined PKF Francis Clark to retrain by doing an accounting apprenticeship.

“Audits are typically required for larger corporate entities, but I focus mostly on charity and not-for-profit audit clients.

“As an assistant audit manager, my role focuses on managing people and ensuring my team is deployed efficiently, much like a project manager. I often juggle multiple audit assignments, concentrating on planning and ensuring we complete on time.

“My job involves lots of client interaction. It’s varied and fast-paced. I work from home and spend time in the office and on client sites.

“The best things about my job are:

I have autonomy over my workflow and time
I get to share commercial and technical knowledge to help develop others
I get to communicate and build relationships with clients and peers
I am challenged by interesting work and I get to solve problems”

Accounting apprenticeship or tax apprenticeship?

It’s not unusual to do an accounting apprenticeship and then follow it with a tax apprenticeship, but if tax is your thing then you can start out with a tax apprenticeship.

Tax work is split across compliance which includes the preparation of tax returns and the advisory side, which is about helping clients to organise their tax affairs efficiently.

There are three main specialisms in our tax team – business tax, personal tax and VAT.

Business tax includes things like corporate tax, sole traders and partnership structures, share schemes and share structures, mergers and acquisitions and tax disputes.

Our VAT team advise on topics including customs and international trade, international e-commerce rules, VAT investigations.

Joanna, Senior in the tax team

“I’ve been with PKF Francis Clark for nearly nine years and did my AAT and ACA accounting apprenticeships here. I’m currently studying for the Chartered Tax Advisor qualification.

“I’m now part of the private client tax team and specialise in supporting individual clients to manage their personal tax affairs. My job involves lots of client and colleague interaction, along with preparing tax planning documents and tax returns and helping our new trainees.

“Whilst rewarding, working and studying can be challenging – so I find it helps to have some other creative and active outlets to help relax. Outside of work I enjoy gardening, running and restoring old furniture – I can’t help taking on new projects!

“The best things about my job are:

I enjoy working with people and building relationships with clients
I like the variety of work that we do which keeps every day fresh
I find research interesting, and it can be incredibly satisfying when you find the answer to a problem
I have lived in Cornwall all my life and am very happy I could find a career locally which has great progression opportunities and such a variety of work”

Other routes to follow with an accounting apprenticeship

Business restructuring and insolvency

Helping companies that are facing financial difficulties to reorganize their operations and finances to avoid insolvency or to manage the insolvency process if it becomes necessary. The goal is to rescue the business wherever possible.

Corporate finance

The dealmakers. Oversee business sales, raise debt and equity funding, drive mergers and acquisitions, undertake due diligence and business valuations.

In conclusion, an accounting apprenticeship opens the door to a diverse and rewarding career. Whether you’re drawn to audit and assurance, business advisory, corporate finance, or any other specialism, you’ll find a path that suits your interests and goals.