Warrener Stewart - a great place to do your accountancy training
04 October 2024 • Audit
Warrener Stewart regularly welcomes trainee accountants into the firm as part of an ongoing campaign to nurture new talent and develop the next generation of accountants. Here we speak to three trainees to hear about their experience of working and training at the company.
Rajeev joined in 2020 when he was 18, and four years on he is AAT qualified and is working towards his ACA. Matt has been with the firm for a year, working in accounts and completing his AAT. Avery joined in the last few months and is working in the US tax business while training for her Enrolled Agent (EA) qualification.
Here’s what they said:
Q: What attracted you to becoming an accountant?
Rajeev: “I was always quite analytical so felt accountancy would suit me. I am now doing level 4 AAT and level 7 ACA qualifications which will make me a chartered accountant.”
Matt: “I obtained a degree in international business studies, which included some accounting modules, and I’d always wanted to do something finance related so accountancy made sense.”
Avery: “I did my degree in economics and sustainable development at St. Andrews, Scotland and felt training in accountancy would be a really good starting point for my career.”
Q: How did you come to join Warrener Stewart?
Rajeev: “I had decided that rather than study in college or university I would prefer to train ‘on the job’, so was looking for a position as a trainee accountant. Warrener Stewart offered me the exposure to different aspects of accounting that I was looking for.”
Matt: “I spotted the trainee accountant role that Warrener Stewart advertised on LinkedIn. They were all so friendly when I came to their offices, and I wanted to move to London, so it was a good opportunity.”
Avery: “I had moved to London, saw Warrener Stewart had an opening for a trainee tax accountant, and felt this would be a great opportunity. When I met their US tax partner at the interview, I thought he was one of the friendliest people I’d come across in my entire job search.”
Q: What is it like working at Warrener Stewart?
Rajeev: “It's a really good place to work. There’s a good mix of people from all walks of life and the people are very friendly. The firm offers a flexible work style, a mix of working from home and in the office, but I genuinely enjoy being in the office and think it’s key for learning.”
Matt: “I love the fact that everyone is super-friendly and that you get to work closely with people, which is really helpful. We all get together out of work quite often so I get to meet people from different departments who I wouldn't necessarily interact with in the office. I also like the fact that there’s a wide variety of people here, which helps create a sociable environment.”
Avery: “I joined two weeks before the US tax deadline so I got to see what it is like when things are really busy, which I think was a great start. Now, on a typical day, I come in at 9:00am ready to start work at the very civilised time of 9:15am. This gives me a chance to have a quick catch-up chat, check my emails and plan for the day ahead, before getting into data entry, figuring out what's going on with the tax returns, and emailing clients for more information. I think we're waiting for the next big rush which will come in the autumn. I find the UK has a much better work/life balance than the US, which is important to me, especially being young and wanting to have a social life.”
Q: What is it like studying while working at Warrener Stewart?
Rajeev: “Warrener Stewart really supports its trainee accountants. The office is open plan and people are very helpful, so if you’ve got a question, you can ask anyone for advice. For a tax related question I can go to the tax department, if it's a more complex issue I might go to one of the managers and ask for their opinion. I’ve found doing the AAT, and the three years training in accounting, has really helped me with auditing. When I switched departments, it was a smooth transition.”
Matt: “At Warrener Stewart you can get a lot of one-to-one support which is particularly important when you're a trainee. For example, when I was preparing for a VAT exam, I was given plenty of VAT work and the practical experience tied in nicely with the exam. This can be extremely helpful when studying a technical aspect of accounting which benefits from this level of support. It’s something I think you might struggle to get in a bigger firm.”
Avery: “As a trainee US/UK tax consultant I am currently working towards my EA qualification. I have two exams in October, another in the winter, following which I can move on to the ATT. Everyone here is really helpful and because we're all on one floor I can easily ask for help. If I have something really complicated, I can run through it with my manager.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about your experience?
Rajeev: “I love working with numbers. I have worked in both accountancy and audit and am currently studying for my ACA. It will be great to have this qualification but, overall, I see myself as a natural accountant as I enjoy putting together meaningful accounts from the underlying data.”
Matt: “One of the things I enjoy about working at Warrener Stewart is that I get to work on a variety of different things. For example, we do VAT returns, estates tax, inheritance tax and personal tax. I particularly enjoy working on personal tax as I find dealing with individuals more relatable, which makes it easier for me to understand.”
Avery: “I think the firm is collaborative and friendly, which I like. The socialising is fun, especially for me as an American abroad. As well as the work/life balance, I like that people here are from all over the UK and you socialise with the whole firm so get to learn about their lives in and out of work, which I find interesting.”
Q: Would you recommend this as a pathway for other would-be accountants?
Rajeev: “100%. You get to do a bit of everything, accounting and auditing, which is great exposure and will help with any career. You can also gain so much through talking with senior staff and being involved in client interactions. I think the learning experience would be very different with one of the bigger organisations.”
Matt: “Oh yes, I definitely would. Being able to train towards a qualification gives you a degree of stability and I think getting the wider exposure is much better for the exams as everything ties in together. I’d also say that, in a mid-size firm like Warrener Stewart, progression can be more straightforward once you pass your exams.”
Avery: “I've always favoured smaller, rather than bigger firms because I think you get a more holistic training and exposure to more aspects of the job. I think having this exposure and being able to interact with clients is really important. So, would I recommend this as an option? I would.”
Director at Warrener Stewart, Alex Eagle said: “In order for Warrener Stewart to deliver quality advice and support to our clients, we look for talented people to join us at all levels. Our trainees are offered full study support towards their qualifications, backed by a wealth of firm-wide knowledge to assist them with their studies and on-the-job training. We offer an excellent programme and help our trainees develop the skills needed to excel in the role and deliver the highest levels of service to our clients, all whilst working in an enjoyable environment where long-lasting relationships can be forged.”