Job Title:
Accountant
One Sentence To Describe The Role:
I do accounts, tax returns and provide business advice to small business.
Number Of Years Dedicated To This Field Of Work:
4
Category Of Work:
Employment – Paid Work
Country / Area of Work:
UK
Industry:
Accounting Finance
Type:
Employed
Key Skills For The Job:
Caring about the success of your clients. Keeping regular contact with them. Ability to show empathy. Rise over the repetitiveness of the tasks to see what really matters for a client. Attention to detail and ability to follow process. Strong internal ethics compass. Knowledge of accounting and tax.
Vital Key Skill:
Ability to identify what really matters for someone and deliver on it.
Your Personal Experience Of Entering This Role:
Higher education plus professional qualification – ACA. That said you don’t need this to be an accountant.
Tips For Undertaking This Work:
Automation is entering the profession rapidly – what will be left is the ability to add maximum value by knowing your client. The job will soon become that of a business advisor. You need to be able to combine business acumen, and knowledge of tax and and current schemes for getting access to capital.
Future Progression Or Developments:
Best route in the profession is through a professional qualification such as ACA, ACCA where you work and study at the same time.
Focus less on spreadsheets and more on people.
What Are The ‘Tools Of The Trade’ Used Daily:
Cloud based accounting software, email, some spreadsheets.
A Typical Day’s Duties:
We are a fully remote team without fixed working hours. I start the day by prioritising my tasks. I leave email for end of day usually and focus on important tasks to start with. I spent 1-3 hours on the phone with various clients, some of that time in video calls. I spent an hour reviewing the work of other colleagues. I spent 1 hour doing research for clients. 1-2 Hours doing what I would call compliance work – actual accounting and bookkeeping.
Is Travelling A Regularly Part Of This Work:
No
Weekly Working Hours:
Flexible – own choice
Type Of Hours Arrangement:
Flexible Based On Employers Needs
The Best Thing About The Work You Do:
Feeling I can help others. Flexible work hours. Seeing the business grow.
Your Least Favorite Thing About The Work You Do:
It does not require much brain effort.
Any Duties You Hadn’t Anticipated Prior To Undertaking The Work:
Nothing in particular. As you go into business you should be anticipating to pretty much deal with anything that comes your way, you cannot prepare for everything.
The Top Perks Of The Work:
Saying you are an accountant when someone asks what you do for a living 🙂
Other Work In The Same Sector:
Accountant is a very broad term and your job can differ massively. You can run a one man band and do the accounts for small business or you can work in a multi billion corporation as a junior team member or even a CFO.
What Professional Organisations Are Associated With Your Work:
ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA, ICAS
Additional Info You Wish To Share:
I do the work because it pays the bills, allows me to have a flexible lifestyle, and to grow a business which increases in value over time and can potentially be sold.
