I studied biology at the University of Bath. Once I graduated I looked into a variety of careers and found that the ACA qualification was highly regarded. The ACA training contract at Barnes Roffe offers excellent experience of a wide variety of businesses, whilst providing the support required to study for the ACA.
I have been at Barnes Roffe for two years and have gradually gained experience and responsibility through this time. Each week varies depending on the requirements of our clients, but here is a recent week by way of an example.

Monday

On the office planner I am down to prepare the accounts for a design company at the client offices. On Monday morning I discuss the accounts preparation with the client manager, who provides detail on the nature of the company and areas of the accounts which may require further attention. At the client’s offices I meet the directors, explain my work plan and begin work on the actual accounts file.

Tuesday

Work on the accounts continues, and I work to daily targets to ensure that the job falls within budget. I speak to the directors to gather extra information as required and discuss areas of the accounts with the client manager to ensure that he remains informed about the status of the file.

Wednesday

I continue to gather the last pieces of information, discussing with the client variations identified in the draft accounts and ensure that the file is complete. The client manager comes on site to review the file I have prepared and raise any areas that he feels require extra work. I also prepare secondary accounts for a holding company.

Thursday

I come back to the office and clear the manager review points from the design company’s accounts. Further, I work to finish another set of accounts for a partnership that I had worked on in the previous week, ensuring the file is complete for manager review.

Friday

I am planning audits and accounts that are due to start in the near future. This includes reviewing statutory documents filed with Companies House and preliminary data for the year end provided by the client where available. The planning documents allow managers and partners to record potential areas of importance or difficulty on upcoming jobs and are used to brief the audit and accounts preparation staff.