Why did you choose Barnes Roffe?
Barnes Roffe are a medium sized accountancy firm and I knew that a firm of this size would be able to offer me invaluable experience and responsibility early on. Barnes Roffe act for owner managed businesses in all industries and the size of the client varies from very small to very large so I knew that my experience and training would be varied and challenging. Whilst Barnes Roffe are a medium sized firm they punch above their weight when it comes to training graduates and career progression and I wanted to be part of their team and benefit from those opportunities.
What do you like about the Barnes Roffe Graduate Accounting Training Scheme?
The great thing about working for Barnes Roffe is that they are a training firm meaning that you receive an enormous amount of support from the managers and partners. During my time as a junior, when I wasn’t at college studying or doing exams, I was out on audit at a client’s. From the very start of my job I was involved in audits and although it can be daunting at first, it is the best way to gain experience and knowledge in the industry. I feel this has helped me to build up my confidence and also provided me with a vast range of technical knowledge. Everybody is very welcoming and friendly, offering lots of help along the way.
The graduate scheme provides hand on experience whilst studying for the ACA qualification.
What does your role entail?
After two years and three months I had passed my final exams, securing a great qualification and career for myself and also being promoted to audit senior. It is a great achievement and the Barnes Roffe graduate scheme certainly helped me get there. I am now leading jobs myself, building on relationships with clients and colleagues and always learning new aspects of accountancy and tax. My audit duties include planning audit jobs, performing audit tests whilst onsite at a client’s, liaising with the client to gain a clearer understanding of their business and its performance and preparing corporation tax returns. My job is not just focused solely on audit, it also involves preparing accounts and responding to client’s requests. The role is challenging but this keeps me interested and on my feet.
I am also a member of the social committee. We hold a number of social events throughout the year ranging from physical activities such as Go Ape to mentally challenging activities like a pub quiz and others such as the Crystal Maze. This enables staff members to get to know each other better and is great fun for everyone. These always prove to be a great success.
What career opportunities are there?
There are many opportunities to progress and responsibility is given early on. Barnes Roffe’s business model is growth from within and they are constantly looking for and encouraging you to be the Partners of the future. In the East London Office, five of the eight Partners started their careers on the Graduate Accounting Training Scheme and some progressed to Partner within ten years!