Job Description

In a nutshell

You'll join us as a trainee accountant, where you will undertake a tax-focused role while gaining broad experience across the team. Over the course of three years, you will be supported in achieving the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification through a structured apprenticeship programme. We are ranked in the Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list 2025, making this a brilliant place to embark on your accountancy career.

What you'll be doing

One thing we can guarantee is that no two days will be the same. Every client is different, so you'll be challenged with new opportunities daily. You'll work across a variety of tasks and situations, experiencing a wide range of high-quality work with interesting clients. This role will be based in our professional practices team.

Our

professional practices

teams

are leading specialists, supporting law firms, and a range of other professionals with all the financial information and advice they need to successfully manage their business. You'll gain a great range of experience, including accounting, tax (partnership, company and personal), audit and preparing analysis, forecasts, and projections. Each year that you are with us, you will build upon the knowledge and experiences that you have gained and be given more responsibility as you grow and develop.

About You

You'll enjoy this job if you like....


Being analytical and methodical in your approach to work Working with numbers Solving problems Talking to people Becoming an expert Being a team player, surrounded by a fun and caring team

Studying alongside working is demanding. As an AAT trainee accountant, you'll need to do regular independent study outside of working hours and to revise for your professional exams.

Your Development

All our trainee opportunities follow apprenticeship standards, which we fully fund so in addition to learning on the job with support from experienced colleagues, you'll spend time studying via a leading professional training provider, through a mix of online and classroom-based learning.



We recognise that personal development training is essential in helping you to become a trusted business adviser, so you will receive support and learning not only for your professional qualification but also towards the skills and behaviours that are required to be a successful accountant. You will be allocated a buddy who'll be in touch before you join to help with any questions leading up to your first day and beyond. Your line manager will be there to support you from day one to ensure that you are on track with both your professional qualification and career aspirations.



Entering the work environment can be daunting. But the support network here at PKF Francis Clark is endless. Everyone from you, your Manager to the Partners is treated respectfully and is made to feel valued. And you'll be joining with lots of other trainees just like you.

What we're looking for

AAT apprenticeships are perfect for non-graduates looking to start an accountancy career. If you are finishing Sixth-form or College, or looking to switch and start a new career this is the route for you.



You'll be expected to demonstrate the following:


Minimum of 112 UCAS points (obtained from three A Levels or equivalent excluding general studies) Grade 4-9 or C or above in GCSE Maths and English.

We recommend applying ASAP as we will be running an assessment centre for this position in the Autumn for a December 2025 start date.

Why work at PKF Francis Clark

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As the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in South West England, PKF Francis Clark offers a breadth of opportunities to develop your career in the way that's right for you.



Established in 1919, we've grown to a team of nearly 1,000 people, based across our offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro. This means we're big enough to do challenging work for exciting clients, but small enough to maintain our friendly and supportive culture.



We work hard to ensure you can belong, be yourself and be brilliant as part of a forward-thinking team. This includes a flexible approach to hybrid working. And our focus on wellbeing and learning and development has been recognised nationally.



For the past three years, PKF Francis Clark has been certified as a Great Place to Work and ranked among the UK's Best Workplaces. In 2025, we climbed four places to 20 out of 100 large organisations on this prestigious list.



We're also in the UK's top 10 Best Workplaces for Women (6 out of 100 large organisations), as well as being ranked among the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing (35 out of 100), Best Workplaces for Development (24 out of 100) and Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services.



All these lists are compiled by workplace culture experts Great Place to Work. Our rankings are a direct result of feedback from our people in a confidential, independent annual survey.



The success rates of our trainees mean we're also ranked 33rd in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025.



While we're proudly independent, we collaborate with colleagues around the world to enable our clients to succeed. PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of firms - together we're the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK. Being part of this international network provides opportunities to connect with like-minded accountants and business advisers in 150 countries.

Your core benefits

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Financial benefits:

Pension Group life assurance - up to four times your core salary Group income protection Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare

Health & Wellbeing benefits:

Option to buy 5 extra days holiday
Counselling and support for you and your immediate family Virtual GP for you and your immediate family Cycle to work

Other benefits:

Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts Gifts for career and family milestones One volunteering day per year to support local organisations Emergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation

Please note

* These benefits are provided via a salary exchange and are subject to employee's post exchange hourly rate remaining above the national minimum wage.