Starting your career in accountancy

Every year, we welcome A level students or people who wish to embark on an apprenticeship. You’ll be enrolled on a Level 3 and 4 apprenticeship which will develop a wide range of business and personal skills, work-based learning and professional qualifications. We offer AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) and ATT (Association of Tax Technicians) Level 3 and 4 apprenticeships. We also offer an accelerated programme for exceptionally talented school leavers to become fully qualified within three years through our ICAEW CFAB (Certificate in Finance Accounting and Business) pathway.

Your initial period of study and work experience will give you a good knowledge of various aspects of accountancy including auditing, accounts preparation, bookkeeping, personal and corporate tax and business development. You'll be able to earn while you learn with hands-on experience of the business. In addition, we'll give you paid time off for study and flexible working, with the opportunity to progress further in the business once you've qualified, and for onward study to become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).

We’re looking for talented people who want to be a part of something bigger who share our vision and values. You must be a great relationship builder who can inspire people around you, who is confidential and approachable with strong communication skills and excellent numerical skills.

We have a flexible approach to academic entry requirements, depending on which area of the business you are interested in. We’ll consider your academic achievements, but your strengths, motivations and ability to demonstrate our values are more important. We’re looking for people with a broad range of interests and experiences.

Every year we open our applications in September. Our selection process includes aptitude tests and invitation to attend an assessment centre where you’ll spend the day meeting people from the business, interviewing and undertaking a different range of activities. You are fully briefed and supported by our Talent Team to keep the process informative and not at all scary!

Our timeline below shows what you can expect from the application process:

If you want to learn more about a career in accountancy, we have intern opportunities at some of our offices. Spend a year on an academic industry placement with us and you'll get a real insight into life as a trainee accountant.

During your one-year placement, you’ll be paid to work alongside our accounting, audit and other specialist teams to get valuable work experience. You'll have the opportunity to see everyday working life within the profession and, more specifically, how we do things at Larking Gowen.

If you’re interested in registering for our Year Placement, please complete our Register Your Interest form and one of our Talent Team will be in touch to let you know when the application window will be open. This typically opens between November and January ready to confirm a placement for the following September.

If you’ve ever wondered what a career in accountancy looks like and would like the opportunity to learn, Larking Gowen offers one\two weeks’ work experience placements at some of our offices. We'll make sure you spend your time valuably and come away with a good idea of what the business of accountancy involves. Some of our people started out with a work experience placement with us, so you never know what opportunities you might be opening up.

We also offer summer internships. These are typically for up to six weeks where you’ll be paid to work in one of our accounting teams and see how we do things at Larking Gowen and understand what everyday working life as an accountant is like.