Accountancy practices are training organisations, this means that we invest in the future of our employees by opening trainee positions which include with the opportunity to study a professional qualification alongside learning ‘on the job’.

Trainees tend to come to us after school or once they have completed a college/degree course. Others join us after spending time working in industry. Ethan, in our Outsourcing team, joined us straight from school whilst Will, in Accounts, joined us after a year of working in industry post graduating in International Relations at Nottingham Trent University. Charlotte, in Insolvency & Advisory, had decided not to go to University and wasn’t quite sure which career path to take. She started working as a trainee accountant in a smaller practice and realised this was the job for her. Charlotte joined Shaw Gibbs when she outgrew the practice she started her training career with.

Shaw Gibbs also provides training for other disciplines outside of accountancy such as Human Resources (HR) and Marketing. 

What to expect when training with Shaw Gibbs

Your ‘in-office’ training will include a variety of tasks to ingrain you in the working practices and culture of Shaw Gibbs.

Your study fees and resources such as books etc will be paid for by the company and (depending on the qualification) you will receive time out of the office to attend classes and/or for study leave.

You will receive support from your colleagues, most of them have been through the same training as you and are therefore willing and able to support you as much as they can.

“Everyone who I have met and spoken to in Shaw Gibbs have made me feel very welcome. I have enjoyed working in the Outsourcing team and learning from everyone.” says Ethan.

Often, we have trainees who work across divisions such as Will, who is experienced both in accounts and audit on which he comments:

“The chance to work across both accounts and audit, experiencing the mixture of both has been invaluable to my personal development.” 

You will be expected to be involved in all areas of the division you work in and will therefore find the work “interesting, motivating, challenging at times but also very rewarding.” according to Charlotte, she also adds: 

“The thing I most enjoyed about being a trainee at Shaw Gibbs was that I was never ‘boxed in’ to do a certain level of work. From my first day of joining, the team involved me in every single element of the work, and I learnt so much and got involved in a huge range of different tasks – you are doing something different every day. The on the job training and support from the rest of the team is great and I always felt valued and appreciated.” 

Gemma has just completed her CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Level 6 diploma in Professional Marketing with the Oxford College of Marketing.

“Having started an entry-level marketing role, this course was great to increase my knowledge and build on my marketing experience. Studying in my own time was challenging, however it allowed me to learn useful and valuable new skills.” 

Laura is currently studying for her Level 5 CIPD qualification.

 “Shaw Gibbs have supported my study fees and I am studying in my own time. By studying in my own time, it means I can do the course in the evenings and over the weekends which suits me perfectly. The modules that I am studying cover a number of topics, including; employment law, employee engagement and the HR function as a whole.” 

Both Gemma and Laura agree that studying whilst working meant that modules and assessments can be related into practical workplace scenarios, therefore increasing their overall development and cementing the knowledge learnt within their day to day roles.

How long will it take to qualify?

This really depends on the qualification you are undertaking and whether you have exemptions for certain modules as a result of previous study. 

What happens after I qualify?

You will be promoted to a more senior position within Shaw Gibbs and you will also be provided with a career development plan which outlines your progression opportunities. You will be given a Senior Manager or Partner level Mentor, someone who will offer career guidance and champion your longer-term development within the firm. Further promotions will be achieved as you develop your technical and soft skills (e.g. leadership and management). You will be set goals around these and they may include client management, showing innovation, business development, staff supervision/management/mentoring and being involved in internal project teams to feed into the improvement of the practice. You will also be given the opportunity to go on our Shaw Gibbs Management Development Programme which is a nine-month programme designed specifically for Shaw Gibbs and our business. We like to think of it as a mini-MBA as it covers a wide range of topics.

 The HR team at Shaw Gibbs would be happy to have an informal conversation if you are thinking of taking the step into an accountancy practice, whether you have had previous practice experience or not. Feel free to contact us on recruitment@shawgibbs.com or call 01865 292 200. To view our current career opportunities, see this page