Trainee (AAT) London September 2024

Are you a self-motivated, hardworking, ambitious person looking for your next challenge? If you are, and you’re looking to join a national operation with international reach, then we have a great role for you, based at our London office near Tower Bridge in an AAT trainee role.

You can join a talented group of individuals in our Audit/BAS department who support our growing network of UHY firms across the UK.

Our firm

The UHY Hacker Young Group is a Top 20 UK network of chartered accountants with 23 offices spanning England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are also a founding member of UHY International, our Top 20 global network, which has over 340 offices in all major global business jurisdictions.

We are a people-first business, and we recognise that you, and the rest of our team, are essential to deliver on our purpose of helping you prosper, whether you are a client, a member of our team, or part of our wider community.

We want you to be challenged, to learn and grow while you’re with us, to have fun in the workplace, work with like-minded individuals, and deliver great services. Are you looking to join a team that:

• is values driven?
• believes in and delivers a culture of work-life balance, with a focus on wellbeing?
• provides a clear career framework and routes to progress?
• understands the importance of rewarding and retaining high calibre teams?
• delivered 20% growth in the last 12 months?

If so we would love to hear from you.

Role overview

The overview of the department:

• Deliver an external audit service to a range of clients in a range of sectors.
• Assist managers in the planning and completion of audit work and to lead audit fieldwork on a variety of clients;
• Undertake and seek to achieve the AAT professional qualification

Job description

As a trainee, your typical daily duties will include:

• Checking a client’s financial information, purchase and sales invoices;
• Checking bank balances and bank statements;
• Reviewing client payroll records for accuracy;
• Ensure sound knowledge of a client and its industry by researching background information and useful publications;
• Develop communication skills and build relationships with key stakeholders;
• Utilise audit software;
• Attend client meetings and social activities;
• Develop and apply technical knowledge gained from studies and on the job experience;
• Attend in-house technical training as required;
• Ensure timesheets are completed on a weekly basis.

Working arrangements

The working week: 35 hours per week (Monday to Friday) to be worked from 9.30AM to 5.30PM with occasionally some flexibility of hours to meet specific work demands.

Location: Your principal work base is our London Office, all employees are required to do a minimum of 3 days in the office per week. However, you will be required to spend time working at client premises and studying for your professional examinations.

Training

The firm provides full support, study leave and tuition costs, for the first attempts at all the exams and assessments that go towards the AAT Level 3 and Level 4 Qualifications. With first attempts it will take between 18-24 months to pass.

We also provide practical training internally. Immediately on joining us, you receive two weeks of training in accounting, our business language, and in auditing. This lays the foundation for your first year’s practical experience.

At UHY it’s all about you – our benefits

• Study Package, including TOIL (Time off in Lieu)
• 28 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• Discretionary Christmas shutdown not counted as part of holiday entitlement
• The ability to ‘purchase’ extra days leave in salary sacrifice
• Private medical insurance at discounted rates
• Private medical insurance (Assistant manager and above)
• Private dental cover at discounted rates
• Subsidised corporate gym membership at Fitness First
• Life assurance (4x salary)
• Season ticket loan (for travel)
• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity pay
• Pension Scheme arrangements

Person specifications

Academic requirements

• Minimum A-levels, B,B,C grades (or equivalent and excluding general studies);
• Grade B or above in GSCE Maths and English Language (GSCE or equivalent).

Persistence

• Ability to work hard to complete near term tasks;
• Energy, stamina and persistence in achieving longer-term objectives.

Reliability

• Conscientious and properly completes tasks
• Willing to put the needs and interests of others (including “work”) before personal needs
• Maintains standards and completes tasks in difficult circumstances
• Remains stable and self-controlled under stress

Initiative and adaptability

• Willingness to adapt to and change in new circumstances
• Ability to identify new or different ways of doing things
• Active in taking steps to make sure things happen

Learning

• Consistent or improving record of academic attainment over time
• Application to “weak” or “disliked” subjects and courses
• High levels of achievement over a diverse range of subjects
• Learning well in a difficult or challenging environment

Leadership

• Success when in a position of responsibility, ensuring that a team or group works together and achieves its purpose; or contributing to a group in a similar way
• Success when in a position of responsibility, ensuring that a team or group works together and achieves its purpose; or contributing to a group in a similar way
• Organising a group, allocating tasks
• Setting, monitoring and achieving aims
• Resolving disputes and difficulties
• Ability to influence and persuade others

Understanding of profession and the job

Well researched, enthusiastic and knowledgeable on

• the work and role of the auditor
• the challenges of the exams
• Uhy

Commercial awareness

• Successful involvement with customers; putting the customer first
• Successful working relationships with colleagues
• Applying or improving procedures
• Measuring or improving performance
• An appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of businesses or organisations that they have been involved with

Business development

• An understanding of what it takes for a business (or other organisation) to be grow, and an ability to put that understanding into practice
• A successful involvement in sales or marketing
• Successful self-promotion (e.g. in obtaining elected office)

Our core values and behaviours run through everything we do and support our purpose of helping you prosper. They set the tone for our team to work by and we are looking for people who value the same things as us: living empathy, making progress, being present and enjoying it!