How did you get into accounting?

After taking my GCSE’s and A Levels at Exmouth Community College, I decided to work for a year to decide what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do something finance related when I left college but was unsure. I had a work experience placement lined up in a local accountancy firm but unfortunately this was cancelled due to Covid. I did a lot of research and decided to take a chance and go for it.

Why did you make the move to Griffin?

After taking a year out of studying and working full time as a shift leader in a fast food restaurant, I decided I wanted to move into accountancy. I applied to work for Griffin online after reading a case study, and started in March 2021.

What does your training entail?

I’m currently working towards AAT Level 3 (Advanced Diploma in Accounting) which I hope to finish in the next couple of months, then I’ll be moving on to Level 4 and after that, studying to become a Chartered Accountant. I have a paid day off each fortnight to study at home. The training is with Accountancy Learning in Exeter and is a mix of using the text books and doing online quizzes. Each apprentice has the same tutor at Accountancy Learning and she is very helpful at answering any questions we may have during our studies. There also is exams at different points through the year and these are sat local in Exeter which is great.

Is your career progression clear to you?

It’s a very clear progression. Once I’ve completed my AAT level 3, I will then move onto level 4. After completing this, I will then move on to study the ACA course to become a Chartered Accountant. At Griffin, I hope to be working towards becoming an Accounts Senior in the future.

What do you like about working at Griffin?

Every day is different at Griffin and it is great to cover all different aspects of accounting from the minute I walked through the door. More recently, I have moved onto completing internal audits for schools. This involves going out to different schools and interacting with clients which I enjoy. I also enjoy working at Griffin because of the team. We all get along and it is great to be part of a young and friendly team. We also have many staff socials throughout the year and we have even started playing in a local 6 a side football league.

Do you have all the support you need?

Once completing a job, we pass it to a manager to review. We are then passed back the job with review points with things to change. This is great for learning and the manager will point out the reasons for making these changes. This is a great way of progressing our learning. I also have a line manager who I can go to if I need any help with anything.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

When I am not working, I enjoy going to support my local football team and cheering them on from the sideline.