Featured in PQ magazine
This is the time of year when most would-be accountants across the country start their training contracts. Many of them find the first few weeks tough – they often have to cope with moving to a new city on top of what, for many, will be their first full time job as well as starting a demanding regime of professional training.
It’s a big ask for anyone and a many people struggle. But there are easy steps that you can take to make the situation easier to handle and get you on a firm footing for the next few years.
First, try to manage the basics well - aim for the best possible balance of work, study and socialising. Juggling these needs successfully will be crucial if you are to make a success of your training, so plan your diary in advance, especially taking note of times when you will have to knuckle down and work.
An important related topic is to manage your finances competently. Your new salary will probably be more money that you are used to receiving but will quickly get eaten up by unavoidable costs such as rent and other living expenses. Crucially, don’t try to keep up with the spending of colleagues who are already qualified and earning a much higher wage.
These are practical steps but probably the biggest issue facing you initially will be emotional – an understandable feeling of disorientation and possibly loneliness, especially if you have moved to a new location to take up your training contract.
Again, this is a problem that can be handled successfully if you take a structured approach. Most cities have a trainee accountant group that you could join, such as the ICAEW’s student societies, where you can find people from similar backgrounds facing similar issues. Additionally, and especially if you have joined a larger accountancy company, there may be special interest groups where you can socialise.
If you feel like things aren’t going well, there are several places to turn. Perhaps the most obvious is your line manager – part of your training contract is mentoring and a degree of support in difficult times is an element of this role. You could also contact the appropriate accounting body for your qualification and its benevolent association, such as CABA, or to general sources of help such as the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. All of these can provide valuable help and advice as you start on the path to becoming an accountant.
© CABA 2011