Senior Finance Officer Review
at Department for Education
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Finance
Manchester
Review Submitted: April 2026
Overall Rating
4.3 /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!
3.5/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
4.6/5
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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:
4/5
In my role I lead finance side of projects: budgeting, forecasting and reporting financial information to senior leadership.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
Apprenticeship gives me opportunity to gain qualification, though I feel that it is more suitable for young people who just left school. I have been working in Finance for over 15 years and many tasks I need to do or questions I need to answer feel like are more designed to suit person that is at the beginning of their career. So, if I could suggest anything I would say that there should be different apprenticeship paths for those who have experience in job and those who are just a the beginning of their career. But overall, I am happy with how the process is run by DfE, I am given sufficient time to study and support when needed.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I feel like I have developed with may accountancy skills, but also communication and my ability to apply this knowledge to my day-to-day job
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
I feel like the structure of the apprenticeship programme is good. There is good level of support with my studies.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
I get required time to cover for my online module classes and revision prior to my exams. My line manager is very understanding and always happy to support me when needed. Apprenticeship team at DfE is always there to provide support as well. They send us regular updates and communication about any updates around apprenticeship. Some time ago they also introduced short courses sessions for apprenticeships which are helping to stay in touch but also cover various areas of finance, which is a great help and helps us to see ''bigger picture'' and get understanding of various finance tasks and jobs across the department.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
The online classes I attend for my module are always given sufficient time. Tutors are very knowledgeable and happy to help. My allocated coach is always there to support me and motivate me. Materials provided are very good, both books and online videos.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
Having better knowledge and understanding has definitely helped with my confidence. I feel like I can be more support to my immediate team but also to Finance Business Partners and directors.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
Working for public services is rather specific and most of the time colleagues from the same team as scattered across the country, so it is difficult to network with my team on face-to-face basis. But within DfE there is plenty of initiatives for people to join and create social groups, based on their background, interests, hobbies etc. There is lots of communications on intranet about it, but also every office has flyers and posters about new events coming.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Department for Education to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I like to think that job I do ''matters''. I am proud that I work for DfE and appreciate how important education is. I have always been supported and feel like y job is much appreciated.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Department for Education?
All I can say is, that if you feel like you want to be part of something big and important then join in.
