insideKENT Magazine Issue 54 - September 2016 | Page 147

BUSINESS

THERE’S MORE TO
A CAREER IN
ACCOUNTANCY
THAN YOU THINK
by Rosie Turner,
Chartered Accountant at Wilkins Kennedy

WHEN I WAS AT SCHOOL, ACCOUNTANCY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH JUST ADDING UP AND BEING
GOOD AT MATHS BUT THIS IS NOTHING BUT A MYTH. ACCOUNTANCY HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE
APPEALING PROFESSION AND IS FULL OF EXCITING OPPORTUNITY, PARTICULARLY WITH EVOLVING
TECHNOLOGY AND CLOUD SERVICES THAT ALLOW ACCOUNTANTS TO BE ‘ON-THE-GO’ WITH THEIR
CLIENTS. DESPITE THIS, HAVING RECENTLY QUALIFIED MYSELF, I FOUND THAT THERE WAS NOT MUCH
INFORMATION AROUND AT THE TIME I WAS MAKING CAREER CHOICES TO HELP ME MAKE IMPORTANT
DECISIONS, AND I’VE BEEN ON A MISSION TO INFORM MORE STUDENTS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES OF
WHAT THE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION CAN BRING.

Endless opportunity
The great news is that for any students
considering a career in accountancy, you don’t
necessarily need to go to University – a major
perk considering the mounting costs of a
University education. If accountancy is the career
for you, then you will need to take A-Levels first.
You can then follow up with either an AAT
qualification, or students can take the CFAB
(Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business)
which is a pathway to the first level of the ACA
chartered accountancy qualification. You can
also undertake an AAT-ACA fast track and work
at the same time as studying for the AAT – so
the possibility for opportunity within the accounting
profession are widespread.
School of thought
Taking my own experiences of my early journey
into accountancy, I contacted the Folkestone
School for Girls, my old secondary school, to
reach out to pupils to inform them about
accounting and finance careers, a few years ago.
With the support of the Partners at Wilkins
Kennedy, I was part of a presentation team that
has had a direct impact on students recognising
the benefits of accountancy as a profession.
This lead on to me being invited to participate in
the ‘Make it Work’ campaign, which took place
in July over two days as part of Education
Business Partnership (EDP) Kent’s initiative to

bring young people and local employers together.
The Year 10 students worked in teams to solve
challenges set by a variety of businesses, but
one of the most invaluable aspects was the mock
interviews. The interviews followed a pattern of
the employer spending the first five minutes
reading the CV, then 15 minutes interviewing the
student and then five minutes giving feedback.
A daunting prospect made much more positive
and accessible thanks to WK and other local
businesses who took part.

Get involved
Of course accountancy is not all about study. At
Wilkins Kennedy, we believe it is vital for our
young recruits to get relevant and client-facing
experience. As such, our students are exposed
to all kinds of practical experience, for instance
preparing, analysing, testing and evaluating
documents, and compiling reports from an early
stage.

Making it work
As part of the firm’s ongoing commitment to
working with our local communities, Wilkins
Kennedy prides itself on engaging with schools
and colleges across Kent and the South East,
to raise awareness of the accountancy industry,
as well as helping to prepare students for the
world of work.
Culturally, too, Wilkins Kennedy understands the
benefits of bringing more young people into the
business. Our 133-year-old pedigree is important
to us – but so is remaining innovative and current.
Even after qualification, WK continues to nurture
staff knowledge and expertise through effective
and on-going training and development
programmes, so that trainees can achieve their
career aspirations as quickly as possible. The
right candidates can move to Partner level at a
young age – and we have some of the very best
Partners on board.

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If you are interested in applying for a
training opportunity with Wilkins Kennedy then
you can visit our website:
www.wilkinskennedy.com/join-wk/
www.wilkinskennedy.com