A placement student reflects
Max Perry has recently returned to university, having just completed his placement year with us. Before he left, we asked him to look back on his experience and what he's taken away from it.
Arriving at my placement at Page Kirk 12 months ago, I wasn't entirely sure of what to expect and, upon reflection, the wealth of experience I have gained since that first day has far exceeded anything I could have expected. After some initial basic training on all the software I would be using in my day-to-day work, I took on responsibility for overseeing the completion of accounts for limited companies and handling tax returns for self-assessment. This allowed me to apply some of the learning from university, develop my workflow management capabilities and expand my knowledge each day with the opportunity to learn new things about accounting and tax.
After a few weeks, I began studying for the first exam of my CFAB qualification at college in the Nottingham City Centre, with a couple of the other starters at Page Kirk and additional students from across the East Midlands. Being able to learn about accounting, assurance and tax from a more practical perspective than I had experienced at university was one of the highlights of my placement. Managing to pass my certificate level exams within the first few months was incredibly rewarding and has made me realise how big a commitment taking the ACA or joint ACA CTA programme will be down the road. It's also given me a head start in achieving these qualifications, as I can immediately begin professional level when I graduate from university next year.
Leading up to the tax deadline, my work was predominately focused on handling tax returns for individuals, sole traders and partnerships, as well as being the point of contact for many clients. After the tax deadline, my responsibilities shifted more towards accounts jobs and statutory audits. particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to work in different environments, carrying out audit work at client sites along with the substantial responsibility of direct client interaction and substantive testing. I would say one of the key advantages I've experienced at Page Kirk is the opportunity to engage in the audit process from start to finish - encompassing many different aspects of the engagement.
The social events have been some of the highlights of my time here – most notably the NCASS ball, Christmas Party, football tournament and box seats for an ice hockey game at the Motorpoint Arena. But the best thing about the firm has been the people I've worked with throughout the year. Everyone has been very friendly, approachable and willing to help when I've needed it, and I found the culture to be a well stuck balance of professionalism and informality (besides the suits!).
Whilst I've truly appreciated my placement year at PK and am grateful for the invaluable range of opportunities and industry experience it has offered, I am very much looking forward to going back to university to complete my degree in Accounting and Financial Management.
Click here to find out more about our placement scheme and see how you could gain an invaluable insight into the life of an accountancy firm.