Management Accountant Trainee Review

I am a management accounting apprentice and therefore my role is a finance one. I am treated like the other people who work around me and therefore on a day-to-day basis I can be doing anything required of the team. My current role is in Accounts Payable so I perform range of tasks from running reports to processing documents. I have a lot of contact with people both internally and external to the company when I am raising or resolving queries and there is great variety to my work.

There is a lot of learning to be done in my role. I attend college once a week (usually) where I am studying for my AAT qualifications. This builds on what I learnt at A Level (however it is definitely not essential to have an accounting background). At work, there are always opportunities for on-the-job training. It is very important to the teams that knowledge is shared because the more people who can do certain tasks means the easier it is if somebody is away. There are many training courses available that expand your personal and social skills as well as your technical skills.

I really, really enjoy my programme. The work is varied, everyone I work with- and even the people I don’t work with- is friendly, and most people love to have a chat in the kitchen. It is easy to make friends and feel comfortable which makes it a great learning environment as there is no worry that people will see you negatively for not knowing how to do something or if it takes a while to learn. It exceeded my expectations as I quickly realised that it is not only the apprentices who are learning. There is a lot of knowledge sharing going on and there is always someone teaching a colleague how to do something.

I definitely feel valued by my team and my department. Everyone is important- the work wouldn’t get done if everyone wasn’t involved. As an apprentice you’d expect to be given the less important tasks or be given something that can be done by anyone or didn’t really need doing at all, however I feel like I am needed within my team and when I take on tasks people are really grateful for the help. There are opportunities for recognition for the things you do in the form of a ‘star of the month’ prize or ‘hi-five’ badges where there is a tangible show of appreciation.

My programme is well structured in the sense that I know how long it lasts for, how long I will spend in my rotations, and a general idea of where my rotations will be (business service centre or finance service centre). We get to state our preferences of where we’d like to work and then the rotations are organised so people can have a chance at working in all the places they’d like to.

I have a contact at my college who makes sure everything is going smoothly with my studies, for example that exams are booked well in advance and that I am keeping up with the work. We have a phone call every few months to make sure everything is going well and to make sure I am being treated fairly at work.

I have an Apprentice Development Leader with who I have a check-in with every 2 months to discuss how I am doing in my apprenticeship and in my studies. He is my contact if I have issues to raise about my apprenticeship or my work and he is who notifies us of changes within the apprenticeship such as rotations etc..

My salary meets my costs very well with some money for savings. I can afford to rent a house, run a car and pay bills comfortably, with a bit left for savings or treats. It helps to live in a house share or find people to live with to split the costs of rent and bills, as I wouldn’t be able to afford the whole amount by myself.

There’s a lot going on outside of work. There will often be days or nights out organised for when it’s someone’s birthday, when someone gets a big achievement, when someone leaves... there doesn’t need to be much of a reason! There are also sports teams and events where you can play or support; there are team away days for volunteering or team building exercises and the much loved Christmas party. On the flip side- you don’t have to join in with any of what goes on outside of work to feel as part of the unit inside of work.

Yes

I find working here so much better than studying full time, which is what most school and college leavers do, and it is a much better working environment than if you were just to find a normal full time job. I moved away from home to start my apprenticeship and I have absolutely no regrets. I have my freedom, my independence, and now the start of a rewarding career. Rolls-Royce don’t like you to remain in one role for a long time so there is lots of opportunity for progression up (or even across) the career ladder.

If you are applying to Rolls-Royce, pay attention to the application process. It’s a tough and long process with multiple stages and it allows you to show as much of your potential as possible. Just like if you were writing a personal statement for uni or a covering letter for a job, it is important to put effort into your application because you need to stand out. Don’t be discouraged by the amount of things you have to do to apply because it is worth it whether you are successful or not as it is a great learning experience. The most important thing is to enjoy the process, not be daunted by it.