AAT accounting apprenticeships
Become a qualified accountant with an AAT apprenticeship
AAT accountancy apprenticeships are level 3 and 4 qualifications, they are perfect for school leavers or career changers who left education at 18.
You’ll be supported to achieve the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) professional qualification via an apprenticeship. Each level takes approximately 15 months.
It’s likely you’ll join us in one of our business advisory accounting teams, but you could join in audit. We’re the largest independent chartered accountancy firm in the South West, so you have the opportunity to specialise or pursue a broader role.
Why choose PKF Francis Clark for your AAT accounting apprenticeship?
What do I need to apply for an AAT accounting apprenticeship?
AAT vacancies
There are no jobs currently available in this team.
What does an AAT accounting apprentice do?
It’s likely you’ll join us in one of our business advisory accounting teams, but you could join in audit. You will learn all you need to know to gain your professional qualification and become a qualified accountant.
We’re the largest independent chartered accountancy firm in the South West, so you have the opportunity to specialise or pursue a broader role.
Business advisory
Go broad. Help our clients prepare year-end accounts, management accounts, forecasts and projections. Get involved in areas such as company and business taxation, company secretarial matters and VAT returns.
Audit
Looking for your first accounting job? We’ll fund all your training and professional qualifications and you’lYou’ll typically work in a team at a client’s premises. Our audit team actively keep clients up to speed on technical changes and developments, financial reporting, corporate governance and other issues.
The typical tasks undertaken by an AAT accounting apprentice include:
- Bookkeeping – recording transactions and ensuring the accounts add up
- Preparing and filing financial reports – such as balance sheets, budgets, cash flow plans, profit and loss statements tax returns and company financial performance reporting
- Researching – market research such as industry trends or competitor financials, researching complex tax rules, gathering data for forecasting and to do company valuations
- Relationship building – talking to clients to answer their questions; giving expert advice and building trusted relationships with your clients is at the heart of what accountants do
- Learn to use accounting programs – makes the work much more efficient
During your AAT accountancy apprenticeship, you’ll develop a broad range of accounting skills, and you’ll get a flavour of some of the specialisms that you might opt to get into in future. For example you could specialise in work in a given sector such as energy, food and drink or property; or in a service such as corporate finance, cyber security or tax; or pick a path that will see you working with a broad range of clients.
You’ll do lots of on-the-job training, supported by day release for study – either online, with a local training provider or a blend of both.
If you want to continue to develop once you’ve achieved your AAT qualification, we can support you with further professional training. You can move on to the ACA qualification to become a Chartered Accountant or the CTA route to become a Chartered Tax Advisor.
Both are level 7 qualifications, equivalent to a Master’s degree at university. Again, with these routes you earn while you learn and we fund your studies.
PKF Francis Clark is on the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers lists for 2023 and 2024, compiled by the Department for Education.
Your AAT training programme
You’ll start out on our internal induction programme learning the basics of the work you’ll be doing. It also explores wider topics such as communication, your personal brand, and professional ethics. You’ll meet your fellow trainees and colleagues from across the firm.
As an AAT trainee you’ll then spend 20% of your time training with an external training provider. This could be in person or online. You’ll have access to a tutor to get one-to-one support with any queries.
You’ll be assessed through exams which are sat in person and the firm pays for your exams and training. You are expected to do independent study in your own time, our current AAT apprentices say this is typically around five hours per week.
Beyond gaining a qualification, our wide-ranging AAT apprenticeships programme spans apprentices’ complete developmental needs, through the involvement of buddies and managers. Our internal learning and development team collaborate with you to ensure you have the support you need.
Level three and level four take around 15 months each to complete. If you join us without prior accounting experience, you’ll start with level two bookkeeping. See the AAT website for the latest syllabus.