The CA traineeship offered by EQ is a great deal. Three years of high quality work experience, paid study, real career progression and a valuable qualification at the end. What’s not to like?
Why did you choose a career in Accountancy? Coming from a farming background in the North East of Scotland, I originally studied for a degree in Agriculture at Aberdeen University. During my time at Aberdeen, I became progressively more interested in the business aspect of agriculture and on graduating in 1988, I joined a national firm of agricultural management consultants, eventually being based in the Firm’s Edinburgh office. My work at this time involved providing business and technical advice to a wide range of clients, including farmers, land agents, banks, lawyers, loss adjusters and government bodies. The majority of the work focused on helping farms and estates to improve their financial performance, using management accounts and business appraisals to aid decision making. While in Edinburgh, I took the opportunity to study for a MBA part-time at Edinburgh University.
Why did you choose to apply to EQ Accountants to complete your professional qualification? I was offered a position with EQ in the Forfar office, which included the opportunity to train as a CA. I had always been aware of their prominent position in relation to agriculture, finance and tax so the move seemed a logical step in my career. It also provided me with an excellent opportunity to use my past experience and at the same time obtain the widely recognised and valued CA qualification.
What is a day in the life of a CA Trainee like? Being a mature trainee, I probably had a slightly different experience to other trainees. Because of my background, I got involved in many business consultancy projects in addition to accounts and tax work. I guess all trainees will have a slightly different experience depending on office location and skills set. The one thing that every trainee gets is a good variety of work as the Firm does not departmentalise.
What did you enjoy most about being a CA Trainee at EQ? The buzz in the office. EQ is a very sociable firm.
What did you find the most surprising during your training with EQ? The level of commitment and investment that EQ makes in its CA trainees. When I did my MBA, I paid for the fees myself and studied in my own time. Getting paid time off to study is a luxury that is probably under appreciated.
What 3 qualities do you think a CA Trainee needs to have if they are to be successful? Resilience to cope with the inevitable setbacks along the way. You have to balance the demands of work and study, which can be tough. You will need to stay focused on the end goal of successfully completing your traineeship.
Social skills. You need to be able to get on with clients and staff as accountancy is as much about people as it is about numbers.
Know your own mind. You won’t stand out from the herd by following it. Have your own opinion and don’t be afraid to express it.
Do you have any advice for those interested in applying for our graduate training vacancies this year? Go for it! The CA traineeship offered by EQ is a great deal. Three years of high quality work experience, paid study, real career progression and a valuable qualification at the end. What’s not to like?