I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do when I was 16. What I did know was that I wanted to earn decent money and forge a long-term career. So I turned to Google and accountancy came up. I hand-delivered my CV to every practice near where I lived and landed a job.
I worked full time and attended ACCA evening classes at college for several years until I qualified. I met my husband at the college. We worked for separate practices for many years, but he set up RD Accounting while I was on maternity leave. I had our two children in quick succession and by the time I was returning to work, he had built up the practice enough to employ me. We now run it together.
I really learnt my trade when I had to go back to pen and paper
We have eight staff, and our clients are mostly local SMEs. We prioritise keeping our in-person office, which is always staffed, as many of our clients like to be able to see us in person, particularly the older generation. It also helps with teamwork and training.
We have an audit licence, which is quite unusual for a small practice. We are charity specialists, and the licence allows us to support our charitable clients who are around the audit thresholds, which are much lower than for commercial businesses. We specialise in not-for-profits because I used to work for a sole practitioner who acted for lots of charities, and I have always really enjoyed working with the sector.
I started working for the sole practitioner in 2013, when everything was still mainly done by hand. It came as a shock after working for large firms. But it was probably the best thing for my career, as I really learnt my trade when I had to go back to pen and paper. I didn’t realise what I didn’t know until I had to do it myself without software.
We try to make our office a nice place to work with lots of little extras. We all work Monday to Thursday, and Fridays are on a rota system, so everyone works only one in every four Fridays. There is no reduction in anyone’s pay and no compressed hours, just an opportunity to re-energise and enjoy our own lives. The appeal of our working practices enabled us to secure our latest qualified hire quite easily.
The axeing of Level 7 apprenticeship funding doesn’t bode well
We’re keen to keep this going, as recruitment is only going to get harder. This is especially true for small practices, given funding has been axed for Level 7 apprenticeships for learners aged 22 and over. It may be that only larger practices can take on the training costs in future, which will reduce the pool of talented candidates coming into the market. Also, with AI taking on some of the lower-level tasks, young people coming into the profession won’t have the same opportunity to learn the core skills they need to progress. None of that bodes well for future recruitment.
Outside of work I spend time with my family and our dog. The dog comes to the office with me, which is one benefit of having your own practice. I also enjoy running to help keep my head clear. My two kids are really into dancing, so I’m a taxi service for getting them to their various dance lessons.
