CAREERS LRSFC ISSUE 17
18TH DECEMBER 2020
ou ish y w e Elois d n a mas! y t d s i n r A Ch a, Emm
erry M y r a ve
AND PROGRESSION
"He puzzled and puzzled, ‘til his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!"
This year, I think, regardless of faith or belief, we can all relate to this quote from Dr Seuss and, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. For some, the break this year may simply be a time to relax and kickback. For many, it will be a chance to meet with (socially distanced) family and friends, whilst others will use the time to take stock, reflect upon the challenges we have faced over the last nine months, and hopefully consider how to get the most out of next year.
Whatever you choose to do with your time, the Careers Team is delighted you can do so. We hope you stay safe and have time to nourish your dreams, returning to college refreshed and energised to move on with your plans in 2021. Merry Christmas, and have a happy New Year!
The careers team
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MEET THE RUSSELL GROUP INSPIRING MINDS WITH LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
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VIRTUAL OPEN DAY WITH BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY 9
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CAREERS IN ACCOUNTANCY AND FINANCE WITH FIRST INTUITION
ACING YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT WITH UNI OF LINCOLN
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DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS WITH ARU
PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS WITH TAKE YOUR PLACE VIRTUAL SERIES WITH UNIVERSITY OF SUFFOLK
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VIRTUAL RESOURCES WITH UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER
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DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS WITH GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC SERVICE
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THIS IS ENGINEERING
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ONLINE RESOURCES
PARENT HUB
FIND OUT MORE
"Join us on Wednesday 10 February from 12:00 to 19:00 for Meet the Russell Group, a virtual event in association with UK University Search. This online and interactive experience will allow you to explore all 24 Russell Group universities and chat directly to their representatives and ambassadors. You will be able to view information and videos about each university, link directly to Virtual Campus Tours to explore university facilities and accommodation, download prospectuses and take part in 13 live webinars in the virtual auditorium. Meet the Russell Group is designed to support Year 13, 12 and 11 students, and the parents, guardians, teachers
and careers advisors who assist them with their applications. It is also completely free of charge. For the first time, we will be offering a live Parent and Teacher Support webinar from 18:05 – 18:30 in the evening, and we have extended the event until 19:00 to give you extra time to receive answers to any questions you have from university representatives, admissions teams and student ambassadors."
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Acing
Your UCAS Personal Statement Your Personal Statement is an important part of your application and we know that writing it can sometimes feel a little daunting. That’s why, at the University of Lincoln, we’re here to provide our top tips to help you make your Personal Statement the best it can be.
Use plain English- It’s important that your statement is clear so avoid using overly complicated words and phrases.
When writing your statement, remember:
Ask for help- Don’t be afraid to ask for support and make sure you ask someone else to proofread your statement when it’s finished. Our friendly Education Liaison team provides a free Personal Statement checking service, wherever you are applying to. Simply email your draft statement to educationliaison@lincoln.ac.uk and we’ll come back to you as soon as possible.
Planning is key- Make a list of what you want to include. This will prevent you from going off track. Keep your statement subject-specificDemonstrate why you are interested in studying your chosen course. Tell us about your work experienceDetail your work experience, what you learned, and how these skills apply to your chosen course. Tell us about your transferable skills- Talk about your transferable skills, such as teamwork and communication, and how they will support you at university. Be positive about yourself!- It’s important to sell yourself and pick out your key skills and strengths.
Always be honest- It is always important to tell the truth in your Personal Statement as you may be asked about it later.
For more tips and advice, catch up on our recent Live Lounge talk. Dedicated entirely to writing personal statements, the live stream features two of Lincoln’s current students who were in the same boat as you not that long ago. If you’d like to discover more about the University of Lincoln, and why we were named Modern University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021, visit our website at www.lincoln.ac.uk.
Thinking about Apprenticeships
"The Government Economic Service is the professional body for economists in the UK civil service. Founded in 1964, you will be part of a greatly respected organisation. The Civil Service helps keep the UK prosperous and secure, supporting the government in implementing their commitments and delivering high-quality services for the public. The Government Economic Service Degree Apprenticeship Programme (GES-DAP) is relevant to all central government departments and agencies. Many are already committed to recruiting apprentices through the programme, including HMRC, HM
Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office, Department for Education, and the Department for Transport. We employ over 420,000 people from across the UK. Our core values are integrity, honesty, impartiality and objectivity, and we are committed to recruiting people from a range of different backgrounds.
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The increasing po of careers in acco finance. GARETH
JOHN,
FIRST
INTUITION.
pularity of untancy and
Accountancy is an increasingly popular choice for young adults looking for an interesting and rewarding career with excellent promotion prospects and earning potential. This year has shown that the finance sector is very resilient and gives better job security than many other career options. Gareth John is Chief Executive of First Intuition where many aspiring finance leaders study for their accountancy qualification exams after leaving college. In this article he lays out his answers to some of the questions he is often asked by college students.
What sort of jobs do accountants do? Accountants work in every single type of organisation in every single country in the world; from local accountancy firms to global multinationals, from charities to NHS hospitals. One of the great things about choosing a career in accountancy is the incredibly wide range of jobs that accountants work in at all levels of business. Here are just a few examples of job titles: -Bookkeeper, purchase ledger clerk or treasurer -Financial accountant, auditor or financial reporting manager -Management accountant or commercial business partner -Financial Controller or finance manager -Chief Financial officer and even Chief Executive Officer Training as an accountant leads many people into successful careers in closely
related areas such as business analysis, insolvency, tax advice, corporate finance and merchant banking. You can find a video here of a session I ran looking in detail at a few of the common entry-level roles into careers in accountancy.
What are the main accountancy qualifications? School leavers often start their careers in accountancy studying for the AAT qualification (Association of Accountancy Technicians) which gives excellent fundamental skills and is highly valued by employers. If you are interested in finding out a bit more about why the AAT qualification is such a great start to a career in accountancy and finance you can watch a video discussion here. Graduates normally start with ACCA, CIMA or ICAEW which lead to full qualification as a professional accountant within three years. ACCA and ICAEW are more common in accounting practice firms whilst CIMA tends to be studied by individuals working in finance departments of commercial businesses and public sector organisations such as
the NHS. You can find out more about these higher level qualifications here.
What are the key skills needed to be a good accountant? Firstly I would stress that you do not need to be brilliant at maths to be an accountant. These days computers and software packages do most of the ‘number crunching’ so you just need to be able to add up and multiply on a calculator. The more crucial skills include analytical ability, problem solving and decisionmaking. It is also important to develop strong transferable interpersonal skills such as communication and leadership. These are all skills that you may have already started to build. You can see me discussing some of ability, problem solving and decisionmaking. It is also important to develop strong transferable inter-personal skills such as communication and leadership. These are all skills that you may have already started to build. You can see me discussing some of these skills in depth and how to develop them here.
How can I start accountancy?
a
career
in
It is very common nowadays to enter a career in accountancy straight from school or college, but plenty of
individuals go to University first. Even the largest accountancy firms tend to support both entry routes into their training programmes: A lot of major employers are already advertising for their Autumn 2021 entrylevel positions so this is a great time to start applying. Find some great ideas on where to find that crucial first role in accountancy here. I recently
hosted
a
session where myself and a number of expert speakers talked about writing you CV and preparing for your first interviews. You can find it here.
Is an apprenticeship a good way to start a career in accountancy? Apprenticeships are an excellent way to start at all levels. Recent changes to the rules for apprenticeships have meant that larger numbers of both school leavers and graduates are studying under apprenticeship programmes. Apprenticeships help trainees to develop a wider range of important career skills in additional to the technical knowledge to be an accountant. About 65% of the accountancy students at First intuition are on apprenticeships and many of my most capable students are apprentices so it’s definitely not a ‘second-class’ route
You can find a great student guide to apprenticeships in accountancy here. Do I need to go to University if I want to become an accountant? Absolutely not! Many employers have well-established school leaver programmes for recruiting into entry level positions which can lead to incredible success at the highest levels. In fact, the Managing Partner of the largest independent firm based in Cambridge is a great example that school leavers can go on to achieve success at the highest levels of the profession: You can read about Warren’s own career story here.
Visit www.firstintuition.co.uk or call us onif you want to find out more or contact Gareth on garethjohn@fi.co.uk if you have any questions he can help you with.
Accountancy Academy 2021 Our popular Accountancy Academy will return in 2021 and we're once again inviting students aged 16+ to join us to find out more about accountancy and finance. This is a FREE event and is most suited to those with a genuine interest in accountancy/finance in year 11 upwards.
A little about First Intuition First Intuition has been training accountants in ambridge for over ten years, working with many local employers such as Addenbrookes Hospital, Deloitte, PEM, Arm and Anglian Water. First Intuition offer classroom and distance learning courses for all of the main accountancy qualifications; AAT, ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW.
To register your interest in our Accountancy Academy please click here.
ONLINE RESOURCES
"With COVID-19 sweeping the nation, we wouldn’t blame you for being a little worried about its impact on your future career. 23% of businesses plan to cut their apprenticeship and school leaver opportunities. But it’s not all bad news. RateMyApprenticeship has partnered with Forage and Development Beyond Learning (DBL) to design a Work Ready Virtual Experience for all school and college leavers. So you can equip yourself with the soft skills you need to thrive in the workplace, from the comfort of your own bedroom. Our Work Ready Virtual Experience is a FREE, self-paced and virtual programme. Meaning you can easily fit it around your
schedule. And don’t worry submitting an application.
about
Over the course of THREE jam-packed modules, you’ll develop the exact skills employers are crying out for; including resilience and networking. As you work through the modules at your own pace, you’ll be able to compare your work with real model solutions created by the RateMyApprenticeship and DBL team. Completing the programme will give you the confidence to take the world of work by storm."
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PARENT HUB
"Join the 'Careers with Diversity & Inclusion: Parent Event' with IBM, HSBC & Co-op- where you can hear from employers about career opportunities for your child and get the chance to have your questions answered!
Gain insight into the variety of career pathways and options for your child Get the opportunity to have you questions answered directly by employers and our careers experts at Pathway CTM."
Our parent/carer virtual event offers you valuable insight into new exciting opportunities available for your child. Secure your ticket today to: Hear from the employers directly about what they are looking for in prospective young people
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