Clare Hopwood explains why an Assistant Accountant apprenticeship supported by Premier Training is the perfect option for her.
After progressing through her AAT Level 2 qualification, Clare is now diving into her Level 3 Assistant Accountant apprenticeship.
Her take? It’s the ultimate foundation for a career that can go in any direction…
How did you first learn about apprenticeships?
It was through conversations because I didn’t have the support of knowing what apprenticeships were when I was at college. You are left in this ‘unknown’ of what to do when you leave college – so I thought there must be a way where you can do on-the-job training and work as you learn. I Googled it, did a bit of self-research and I found that there is something – apprenticeships. I looked on Indeed to see if there were any apprenticeships being advertised and went from there. Accountancy is something I’ve always wanted to do but in college I didn’t attain the grades I needed at that time and, once I did have the grades, it was too late to join the course. So, it was just a door that didn’t open at that time.
What inspired you to take the next step?
My inspiration was that I didn’t want to go to university – that life just wasn’t for me. I’ve always been one of those people who have gone straight into work. I did my qualifications at A-level and then I thought I needed to go to university, but it wasn’t something that I actually wanted to do. So, I ended up doing different jobs and getting by in life and getting a different experience. It was only a couple of years ago that I thought, you know what, an apprenticeship would actually be the best route for me personally.
What’s the biggest advantage of an apprenticeship?
The money is important – I think that was the biggest motivator for me. I knew initially that you probably earn less to go into an apprenticeship, in comparison to a standard full-time role, but it still works out in the long run to be more beneficial. Also, I think when you’re young, you need money and it’s the driving force for a lot of things. The flipside to that is that you’re not building up debt through students loan, etc, so I think for a job, especially like accountancy, it is definitely the best way forward.
For more information on Premier Training’s apprenticeships click here.
