Industrial placements
Year long placements for undergraduate students
Placements and work experience
Three placement options
Summer placements
Six week placements for undergraduate students
Work experience
One week work experience for Year 12 students.
Placements for undergraduate students
We offer two placement options for undergraduate students. You can choose a year-long industrial placement or a six-week summer placement.
Both placements will give you a valuable insight into what it’s like to work with us and an idea of how much accountancy careers have to offer.
Industrial placements for undergraduate students
Work as a trainee accountant for a full year, starting in mid-August. You’ll fully experience accounting life as you’ll be training alongside our first-year graduate trainees. You’ll be placed in either our business advisory team (to learn general accounting) or in our audit team.
These are paid placements and they could lead to ongoing employment with the firm. Students who live locally may be offered an ongoing internship during their final year at university. This would be a part-time paid role that enables you to continue working with us while you finish your degree.
In addition, successful industrial placement students may be made the offer of a permanent trainee job for after their degree. Our trainee offer includes fully funded training to achieve either the prestigious Chartered Accountant or Chartered Tax Advisor qualification, both of which are equivalent to a Masters’ degree.
You can apply for our industrial placements if you are a second-year undergraduate student on a four-year degree course, with a work placement in the third year. You can be studying any degree.
Summer placements for undergraduate students
As an undergraduate you can apply to join us for six weeks and you’ll get to work in teams such as Audit, Business Advisory or Tax. These are hands-on, varied and paid learning experiences.
The perfect time to apply is your penultimate year at university. You can work alongside a supportive and friendly team of experienced colleagues to find out if an accountancy career is for you.
You’ll be set a research topic and asked to prepare a short presentation about it. You’ll interview people across the firm, improving your knowledge, research and networking skills.
If you’re considering embarking on an ACA accountancy apprenticeship after university then this is a great way to take one for a test drive!
Work experience for Year 12 students
Work experience for Year 12 students is available in most of our offices. Unfortunately we cannot offer work experience to Year 10 pupils.
You can join us for a week in our business advisory team to get involved with preparing year-end accounts, management accounts, forecasts and projections, as well as handling tax issues and VAT returns.
What our placement students say
“It’s been amazing! The summer placement enabled me to see different sides of the firm and to learn in a way that you can’t in the classroom. Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming, and my colleagues organised tasks for me to do and encouraged me to ask any questions. I’ll be applying to PKF Francis Clark for sure!”
Jack, University of Plymouth
“It’s been a really valuable experience. It was my first time working in an office. I’ve enjoyed it and I’ve learnt so much about accountancy. The team welcomed me and I felt very included. I didn’t feel like an intern! The managers guide things but everyone talks to everyone, including the partners. It’s super friendly. I would love to start my accountancy career here.”
Will, University of Exeter
Supporting young people in the South West
PKF Francis Clark is Cornerstone Employer, one of a flagship group of over 400 businesses of every size, shape, type and sector working to transform the lives of young people in their community.
We act collaboratively and strategically with networks of schools, colleges, students, teachers and local stakeholders to support initiatives that focus on work experience and careers education.
We are part of a group of local organisations, led by the South West (HotSW) Careers Hub, committed to tackling disadvantage and driving better outcomes for young people.