Age
24

Education
Degree in economics and French from Birmingham University.

So, what do you actually do?
I’m a trainee accountant responsible for auditing not-for-profit organisations, checking their financial statements to make sure all the numbers reflect what actually happened. There are a large number of ethical guidelines on charity good practice laid down by the Charity Commission and the accountancy bodies, that we have to make sure charities follow.

What makes your job so ethical?
Sayer Vincent specialises in accountancy for charities and not-for-profit organisations. I feel that we are making more of a contribution to society than just auditing big corporates. We have a duty to the people who give to charities to report whether the accounts are correct or incorrect.

What does your typical day involve?
I’ll visit a client at their offices where all the accounting books and records are kept, and perform a variety of tests to ensure the numbers included in the financial statements are correct. It involves time spent poring over files full of invoices, but also lots of contact with finance staff and managers.

What kind of personality is best suited to working in a job like yours?
You need to be fairly personable, with a degree of common sense. A healthy dose of scepticism is also a good aspect, as we often need to assess any explanations we are given.

What skills and experience do you need to work in this sector?
Obviously, a reasonable level of numeracy is essential, and any kind of analytical or checking experience always comes in handy. Being able to adapt is a key skill, as you will be doing something slightly different, and dealing with different people on each audit.

What are the best things about your job?
There’s a good degree of flexibility about when the jobs get done by. Also, we get a lot of responsibility very early on, so we learn our jobs quickly.

What are the worst things about your job?
Sometimes we are expected to work for the client against very difficult deadlines, and we can work some very long hours.

Any top tips for someone wanting to get into this work?
There is very little preparation you can do to get into this work. It is a question mostly of attending the recruitment days and applying.


Sayer Vincent
www.sayervincent.co.uk