“I am really enjoying my apprenticeship at Mercer & Hole; everyone at the firm is really friendly and welcoming.”
Inspiration from an open day
I started my apprenticeship journey with a Level 3 Accountancy Apprenticeship, at an accountancy firm in Watford called JSA. When I was at school, there was an apprenticeship open day where people from different organisations and businesses came to the event to talk about what apprenticeships they offered. At the open day, I was particularly impressed by a Management Accountant who spoke about how he had also gone down the apprenticeship route and he explained about the pathway he took within his career.
“From that conversation, I was dead set on what I wanted to do within my career – I knew I wanted to work in accountancy.”
I knew that I did not want to go to university as I did not feel it would have been the right option for me, so I looked for a Level 3 Accountancy Apprenticeship. After I had completed my Level 3 Accountancy Apprenticeship, I applied for a Level 4 Outsourcing Apprenticeship at Mercer & Hole.
The apprenticeship has given me so many opportunities
I am really enjoying my apprenticeship at Mercer & Hole; everyone at the firm is really friendly and welcoming. You never feel stupid not knowing something, because everyone is always there to help. The work is more challenging than anything that I have done before, and I have been given the opportunity to work and learn about different areas in accountancy including Payroll, Management Accounting and Financial Accounting.
“You are allowed to ask questions – lots of them!”
A great work environment
I wanted to join Mercer & Hole as my dad had previously worked in partnership with Mercer & Hole and visited the London office. He recommended Mercer & Hole to me, as there was a great work environment with friendly staff and the firm was well established within the accountancy world. The application process was really easy, I just filled out a form, submitted my CV and applied for the role. I was then invited for an interview and was successful in my application for an Outsourcing Apprenticeship.
Do not be afraid to ask questions!
My advice would be to not be afraid of not knowing the right information or not having the right background knowledge. Accountancy was not a subject I was able to study at school, so when I started my Level 3 Apprenticeship, I was starting from scratch.
“When you first join a firm, you always think people might judge you if you do not understand or know something, but you quickly learn that apprenticeships are about learning on the job. You are not meant to know everything when you first start, so do not be afraid of the unknown!”
My hopes for the future
I hope to stay at Mercer & Hole after my Apprenticeship and become a Chartered Accountant by completing my ACCA Certification with the firm.
St Albans