Graduate Trainee Chartered Accountant (Level 7 Apprenticeship)

Unleash YOUR potential with RPG Chartered Accountants!

We are inviting applications now for people to join the RPG Chartered Accountants Graduate Training Programme, with a start date of September 2024.   The role will provide full training as part of the Level 7 Apprenticeship Programme towards the ICAEW professional qualification which will result in successful candidates being ACA qualified, that is a fully qualified Chartered Accountants.

Company Details:

RPG Chartered Accountants is one of the leading independent firms of chartered accountants in the Manchester. We also have an office in North Wales which is where RPG Chartered Financial Planners, our financial planning and wealth management business, and RPG Payroll Service are located.

There are approximately 100 people across the different service lines within the RPG Group which means that we are able to look after a wide range of business clients, with turnovers ranging from £50,000 to over £600 million. We act across a breadth of business sectors and some of the work we carry out is highly specialist. For example, we are one of fewer than 50 accountancy firms (October 2023) regulated to carry out Public Interest Entity(PIE) Audits, which means, for example, that we are able to audit FTSE and AIM listed entities as well as Not For Profit entities such as Friendly Societies.

We also have a number of clients with overseas interests and we are supported in this through our membership of DFK International which is a tax, audit and accounting services organisation with 204 independent member firms based across 90 countries. Indeed we were thrilled to be announced in October 2023 as DFK UK & Ireland Firm of the Year 2023!

Taking the career path of a Chartered Accountant involves continuous learning so we strive to support all of our people with comprehensive training which includes understanding the wider business issues affecting our clients and improving your commercial awareness. You will also have your own personal development plan which will enable you to achieve your long-term ambitions.

We pride ourselves on understanding the needs of our staff and value our team having a healthy work life balance.  We have a structured well-being and social programme for all of our people.

We are committed to equality of opportunity, to providing a service and following practices which are free from unfair and unlawful discrimination. We actively support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and make sure that our colleagues feel valued and are treated with dignity and respect.  We value people as individuals with diverse opinions, cultures, lifestyles, and circumstances.

About the qualification:

Working towards the ICAEW professional qualification involves comprehensive work experience and a study programme, using specialist training companies for the tuition and exam support. We offer paid study support in addition to your annual holiday entitlement. The training will be completed in conjunction with a Level 7 Apprenticeship Programme. The programme typically lasts 3 years and incorporates 15 ICAEW exams plus a skills based portfolio assessment.

About the role:

There are various service lines within our business including Accounts Preparation, Audit, Corporate and Personal Tax, Corporate Finance and Transaction Support, and Business Recovery, to name a few.

You will mainly work in our Accounts and Audit compliance departments where you will:

• Learn how to prepare financial information
• Gain knowledge of broader commercial, financial and taxation issues whilst undertaking audits (either from our office or from client premises across the North West)
• Dealing with numbers but also working as part of a team with colleagues and clients

We do not expect you to be the finished article on recruitment, but we need to be sure that you are enthusiastic about learning.

What are we looking for?

• A 2:1 or above degree from relevant and non-relevant degree disciplines
• UCAS tariff score of 120 (equivalent to BBB at A-Level)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• IT proficiency
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Motivation and initiative
• Team player
• Desire to learn
• Excellent judgement of both situations and people

Benefits:

• A competitive salary, subject to annual merit based reviews and exam progression.
• A full-funded ICAEW professional qualification (Level 7)
• A very healthy work-life balance
• Employer’s contributions to the company pension scheme
• Free parking on a rota basis
• Company staff and social events
• Flexible working hours within a seven-hour working day
• A hybrid work approach of two days home and three days in the office unless at clients’ premises
• ‘Dress for your day’ dress code policy
• Regular technical and soft skills training
• Well-being programme
• You will initially receive 20 days holiday per year (3 to be taken between Christmas and New Year) plus bank holidays with scope for future increase
• Death in service cover of 4 x salary

Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Full-time
Office location: Central Manchester

Initial interview rounds to commence in December 2023.

Please apply by sending your CV along with a relevant covering letter to recruitment@rpg.co.uk