Habib Trainee Accountant
Our 50 strong team specialise in accounting services for the legal and medical professions
We’re forward thinkers, skilled in serving the legal and medical sectors, providing core statutory and specialist advice to these ever-changing fields.
Our core clients include legal firms ranging in turnover from £3m – £30m, to local medical practices, hospital consultants and other medical practitioners.
When you train with us, you’ll learn and develop all the core skills for careers in accounts, audit, tax and business advisory too. You’ll be specialist by sector, doing a really diverse range of work. You’ll do accounts preparation, statutory audit, Solicitors Accounts Rules (SRA) client money audits, completion of partnership and personal tax returns, pensions, specialist tax and VAT and strategic advisory work.
You’ll develop ever deeper market knowledge, working alongside nationally recognised experts. For example our team includes a committee member from the Association of Independent Specialist Medical Accountants, a member of the ICAEW Solicitors Community Group and the authors of the Law Society’s ‘Solicitors and the Accounts Rules’ compliance handbook (4th Edition). We know where these sectors are going because we’re actively influencing the direction on the national stage.
We think that we do things differently to most accounting firms – we are forward thinking, relaxed, with a great team spirit so it’s easy to stay motivated here. You’ll enjoy this work if you’ve got an analytical mind-set, thrive on managing change, interacting with clients and love being part of a sociable team.
You don’t need specific legal or medical experience to join us although exposure to either statutory audit, tax, LLP or partnership accounts is really helpful.
Our team is based across multiple offices and do hybrid working so we are hot on keeping connected. We keep in touch via regular catch up calls, work planning sessions and one-to-one coaching. We get together for two annual strategy days every year, as well as fun team events in work time, team volunteering days (again in work time) and after-work socials.
When you join us as a trainee, we pay for all your training and examinations. You’ll attend external training with a leading training provider and this is supplemented by a programme of in-house training and on-the-job learning.
If you are a graduate, you’ll study towards the Chartered Accountant (ACA) qualification. This takes three years to complete. You’ll spend time at work and time training, in person, with an external training provider. This can be a mix of day release or sometimes weeks at a time. You are also expected to do at least 10 hours of independent study per week outside of work, or more when revising for your professional exams.
You’ll do exams with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and you can see their latest syllabus online.
If you’re a non graduate you’ll start the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification. You’ll spend 80% of your time at work and 20% of your time training with an external training provider, either in person or virtually. You are also expected to do further study in your own time, typically around five hours per week. You’ll start with level three AAT, which takes 15-18 months to complete. See the AAT website for the latest syllabus.
You’ll progress through various grades. We encourage an annual career conversation to discuss your progression and where you want to go next, that’s in addition to your annual performance review.
You’ll also have regular one-to-ones with your manager. That’s your time to use as you like – to ask questions, problem solve, seek feedback, learn specific technical skills; to get what you need to take your career where you want it to go.
Whilst we are a specialist team we also offer team members the opportunity to experience all aspects of accountancy, tax and audit which makes us an intriguing opportunity both for experienced accountants and those looking to enter or progress in the profession.
We have a breadth of knowledge and share this by working collaboratively and closely with oen another. It is this aspect of the team that most people say they enjoy, coupled with flexible and hybrid working and building close relationships with clients.
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