The attraction of audit…
Ffion Williams joined Randall & Payne in August 2017 from Hartpury College where she studied Maths, Chemistry and PE at A Level. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do as a career and had no prior knowledge of accounts or audit, however having enjoyed maths and a challenge, she decided to give accountancy a go!
Ffion interviewed at a few accountancy firms locally and was drawn to Randall & Payne because she was taken by how friendly everyone was, along with the support which was on offer. She was also impressed by the attractive grounds of Chargrove House and the handy onsite parking was an added bonus.
The balance of work versus study…
As a Trainee Audit & Assurance Accountant, Ffion studied AAT Level 3 and then went on to complete Level 4, regularly hitting 90+% in her exams! She describes the training as being well structured and is completed on a block release which she found made it easier to focus on her studies.
It was a no brainer for me, being able to complete a widely recognised qualification as well as gaining work experience and learning on the job. It was good being able to put my study into use straight away”.
The journey so far…
Over the past three and half years, Ffion has had exposure to a variety of different aspects of audit including accounts prep and audit work for academies, charities and limited companies.
Having qualified in August 2020, she is now starting to lead on audits and is the first point of contact for her clients.
The support within the team is great, colleagues are always on hand to help.”
Ffion recalls how she was when she first started and how she has developed personally as well as professionally.
When I first started, I was always worried about picking up the phone to clients. My confidence has grown significantly since then and I now pick up the phone without hesitation and go out on site to complete audits on my own.”
The banter…
The Audit team are competitive and into all sorts of sports including football, cricket, netball, and even surfing! Ffion’s family is heavily involved in rugby and given that she is Welsh, there’s lots of England-Wales rivalry rugby banter too.
When not pitch side, Ffion is a professional harpist and in more normal times plays at weddings, dinners and other celebrations – a world away from her day job!
Our differentiator to other training firms is our encouragement of early client contact, developing skills and confidence for the trainee. We also support all our staff by providing wider opportunities for regular personal development and non-technical learning. As well as a great training package, our trainees have the opportunity to undertake meaningful work in a friendly environment, where they are valued and supported. We believe in fun, a healthy work-life balance and wellbeing as much as hard work and delivering excellence to our clients.
Visit our Apprentices and Graduates page, email careers@randall-payne.co.uk or call 01242 776000 if you would like to find out more about trainee opportunities at Randall & Payne.
