Accounts Assistant Review
at S&W
School Leaver Programme
Accounting
Bristol
Review Submitted: March 2022
Overall Rating
5 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
5/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
Preparing annual accounts, quarterly VAT returns and monthly bookkeeping. Daily interaction with clients and having responsibility for managing my portfolio of clients. Communicating with team members and other teams to ensure the compliance work runs smoothly.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
When I turned 18 I went to university but dropped out after one term because it wasn't right for me. After starting my work leaver programme, I can confidently say it is the best decision I made.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
Organisation is key as you are managing multiple clients at a time. Communication skills are developed in both how you interact with a client but also with other team members especially as the programme goes on you learn to delegate your work.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
Very well structured. It is clear the qualification path you are going on and we have a planner which tells you what client you are working on each day.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
A huge amount of support. Whatever you are experiencing, someone else has already been there and done it and can be there for advice or just a friendly ear who understands. We always say there is no such thing as a stupid question!
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
A lot of support - the college provider we use (First Intuition) is brilliant anyway with their course programmes and tutors are always available. Other team members will have gone through the same exams and can offer tips on what helped them. You also get time off before the exam.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
Its invaluable. Being able to put the theory into practise cements the learning. There are times in revision where I use client names as reminder prompts for certain accounting treatments.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
Yes! We have monthly department socials (bowling, mini golf, flight club) as well as team socials every 6-8 weeks plus bi-annual office parties. A 2023 skiing trip. There's a netball and football teams plus T20 cricket match trip. Monthly professional networking events.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend S&W to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Its supportive, fun and creates a career and community for you. Leaving university and doing this instead was the best decision I made.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to S&W?
Be yourself!! We want to see who you are. Everyone will have similar A Levels and extra-curricular activities so to stand out show us who you actually are and what we could expect from working with you.
