Your name and job title

Adam – Trainee Accountant

Did you start your career as a school leaver or graduate?

Neither. After leaving university with a degree in Forensic Science, I spent a couple of years in China as an English teacher before returning to the Isle of Man and starting my career in accountancy.

What did you want to be when you were at school?

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I was at school. I wanted a career, rather just a job, but I wasn’t sure which field to go into or which kind of jobs I would like.

What qualifications/training do you need for your role?

There are no specific qualifications and people from all walks of life can train to become an accountant. You can skip a few exams if you have a degree or claim exemptions to more if you have a degree in accountancy, but it’s not necessary.

What motivates you most about working for CM Partners?

The range and variety of work that we do keeps the job interesting as well as providing us with good, well-rounded training. The people in the teams we work in are always helpful and there are good social events every few months where can mix with people outside of your team.

What are the most important qualities you need in your role?

Organisational skills are important because you’re likely to be working on several different clients and doing something different for each of them at the same time. I think that most people over-emphasise the maths skills required to do the job; being a good note-taker is better indicator of being a good accountant than maths.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career in accountancy?

There’s plenty of forums where people share their experience and advice about life as an accountant, as well as what it is like to train to become one. Many education providers offer free introductory courses that will get you used to the basics of the role, but I think the best advice would be arrange some work experience and try it.

Why CM Partners?

I liked the idea of working for a local firm, rather than a large multinational. The company also offers a range of different experiences for trainees, giving us experience in accounts prep, tax, VAT, audit and CSP work rather than just being confined to one department in a business.