Meet Daisy, 25, an accountant working at PwC, a large firm in Cardiff providing financial services. Find out more about her job and how she got into the role.
Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
I enjoy helping people and businesses.
Daisy:
My name is Daisy and I am an accountant. I enjoy helping people and businesses.
An accountant is someone who checks accounting records for a business. An organisation will have a set of records, things like how much money they've earned, how much cost they've incurred and also things like how much money they have in the bank. And what I do as an auditor is I check those accounting records to make sure that they give a true and fair view of what they business has.
Auditor's a really important role because for businesses they have lots of interested parties, so it might be an investor or even banks - they're really interested in how businesses are doing.
I have all kinds of clients. I have worked with sports bodies, I've worked with universities, I've worked with manufacturers who make steel and hospital beds.
A typical day for me will involve making sure that all my teams are comfortable with their work. I'll put in a meeting in the morning and we will discuss any problems that they're facing and I will help find solutions to their problems.
All the conversations that myself and my team have, we have to document those. Anything that I do I write down. I'll work sometimes in the office with my colleagues, other days I'll go and visit my clients in their offices and occasionally I'll also work from home.
It's really important to have a variety of skills including communication, problem solving. I love talking to people and building relationships with people, so it's really important I learn to be able to communicate with people in different ways, so whether that's with my team or whether it's with my client and that will be both written and verbal communication. And, you have to have a great attention to detail as well.
There's lots of different ways to get into accountancy. The organisation that I work for do lots of different pathways in, so there's a school leaver programme, there's an internship programme. I applied for the internship and the first part of it was a shadowing scheme, so I was able to follow different women around my organisation.
In my job I have found that my GCSEs in Maths, Science and English have been really helpful. Maths has been helpful because it's allowed me to understand the number sides of my job, and then Science was really helpful with my problem solving parts of my job, and English is really helpful for my communication side of my job.
Catrin, Manager:
I work closely with Daisy. Daisy is really enthusiastic. She is fantastic at her job. She brings out the best in people. Everyone thinks that being an accountant is all just about numbers but actually there is so much more to the job than that.
Communication is really important, so making sure that you can communicate and build relationships with people that you work with on a day to day.
Daisy:
Key tips I'd give to anyone who is interested in a career in accountancy, would be to do research in terms of the accountants that are around you and maybe get some work experience, because then you can get a real insight into the role to see if you'll really enjoy it. And also to keep an open mind and work hard because all those things have helped me get to where I am today.
- Daisy is an accountant, specialising in auditing. In her role as an audit manager, she uses her accountancy skills to review and analyse the financial information of organisations and businesses.
- Her job involves checking a company's financial reports and supporting a team of auditors.
- The main skills and attributes Daisy uses in her job include numeracy, communication, problem solving, organisation, and teamwork.
- Studying Maths at school helps Daisy work with financial information and problem solving. English helps her communicate with clients and her team.Geography and Politics also provide an understanding of how the world works, allowing her to make sense of information for her clients.
- After completing A-levels, Daisy studied Philosophy and Economics at Cardiff University.
- Whilst at university, Daisy applied for work experience at her current firm. She returned for a six week placement, after which she was offered a job and further training to become a qualified accountant.
Top tips
- Find work experience at an accountancy firm. It's an invaluable opportunity to see the job for yourself.
- Problem solving is key. Auditors and accountants need to check financial information is right.
- Work hard now. It will pay off later.
A similar role to an accountant is an auditor. An auditor is a particular type of accountant whose role is to inspect organisations' financial records and procedures to make sure they are accurate and efficient.
What to expect if you want to be an auditor
- Auditor average salary: £19,000 to £65,000 per year.
- Auditor typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week.
What qualifications do you need to be an auditor?
You could get into this role via a university course, an apprenticeship, applying directly or training with a professional body.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service.
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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