Graduate Accountant - Audit & Assurance

Location: Newbury, Oxford, Reading, Southampton
Qualification Pathway: ACA or ACCA

About Us

James Cowper Kreston is a leading firm of accountants and business advisers with offices across the Thames Valley, London and South. We work with clients, not just as accountants but as an integral part of their team, offering a full range of advisory services and working with them to unlock and take advantage of available opportunities.

We are a team of over 250 people, where everyone gets to play their part in helping achieve our goals. We have a strong team ethic, but always recognise the individual contributions. That’s why we make a great investment in individual career development and helping you maximise your potential.

We are currently looking for the next generation of auditors to join our growing team.  If you have already obtained your degree, or are about to do so, then our Graduate Trainee Programme offers a practical way to kick-start a rewarding career in accountancy.

The Programme

Our three-year Graduate Trainee Programme offers a structured route to achieve either the ACA or ACCA qualification. You’ll combine structured classroom-based learning with hands-on experience across a variety of client engagements, as well as developing key soft skills to help advance your career. This is a practical and rewarding way to launch your career in accountancy.

The Role

Audit is the process of examining and evaluating an entity’s financial statements to provide reasonable assurance to stakeholders that the statements show a true and fair view of the entity’s financial performance. Time is spent with management and the owners of the business gaining a detailed understanding of the business and identifying risk and key areas of the financial statements most at risk of being incorrect. We then gather evidence, focusing on higher risk areas, and report our findings to the shareholders. For many of our clients, we also prepare the financial statements. 

Your initial focus would be understanding basic accounting and audit principles. In your first 12 months your work would be focusing on low-risk areas. You would then take on additional responsibility in your second year, working on more complex areas, before becoming an Audit Senior and leading audits and reporting to the Audit Manager.

You would learn how to interact with client third parties, such as owners, directors and key management staff, and work alongside experienced seniors, managers, directors, and partners.

By the end of your first year, we aim for you to be able to:

·       Prepare financial statements.

·       Be aware of, and able to discuss, audit risks with the Audit team.

·       Be able to gather audit evidence for low-risk audit areas and communicate any audit findings for these areas.

·       Be comfortable dealing with clients and colleagues in person and over the phone.

 
What We're Looking For

·       A minimum 2:2 in any undergraduate degree subject.

·       At least 112 UCAS points from your top 3 A-levels (excluding General Studies, Critical Thinking & Extended Project).

·       Minimum Grade 4 in GCSE Maths and English Language.

·       A genuine interest in accountancy and finance.

·       Strong communication and organisational skills.

·       Resilience and the ability to adapt to challenges

·       Effective teamwork and collaboration skills

·       A valid UK driving licence, or already be learning

·       The right to work in the UK for the duration of the training contract

What We Offer

·       Full study support including exam fees and paid study leave.

·       23 days annual leave plus your birthday off.

·       Pension scheme and flexible benefits (e.g. cycle to work, dental insurance, life assurance, flu jabs).

·       Agile working and mental health support.

·       A dedicated buddy and line manager.

·       Active social committees and monthly pizza lunches.