Matt Berry and Alan d’Authreau reflect on their time as trainees, why they chose accountancy as their career and what helped them deal with challenges in a professional training environment.

Alan d’Authreau was educated at Victoria College before studying Chemistry at the University of Leicester.  Matt Berry, who hails from Ormskirk in Lancashire, studied Economics at University of Lancaster. Both started their careers with RSM Channel Islands as trainee chartered accountants in 2010. 

On 1 January 2016 Reads & Co. rebranded as RSM Channel Islands. This move further strengthened the firm’s position as a leading Channel Island accountancy practice. It also provided greater brand recognition beyond the immediate business community while retaining our focus on audit, tax and consulting services to our local business clients and the financial services industry. We are an Approved Employer with both The Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and expect to increase our training intake this year.  Individuals wishing to apply for training positions with us should submit a covering letter and full CV by email to [email protected].

Alan said ‘I went through thoughts on a range of different careers when I was at school, from an RAF pilot to a fireman, all the typical things boys want to be when they are older!’

A local boy, Alan was keen to return to Jersey on completing his degree.  ‘I wanted to find a job that utilised the skills I developed at Uni,’ he said. ‘The problem solving, analytical and mathematical elements to my degree made accountancy and auditing a good fit.’

Matt added: ‘After completing my degree, becoming an accountant seemed an obvious choice, with audit in particular providing the opportunity to draw on my previous experience.’

When asked why they choose RSM Channel Islands, both agreed that ‘the idea of a smaller firm appealed’.  Alan explains that ‘when talking about the work experience element of the training, the firm offered access to a range of clients from large financial institutions to successful local enterprises.’

Matt said: ‘As well as a diversity of clients, the firm offers its trainees exposure to the different types of work.  I didn’t want to be pigeonholed so being able to gain experience across the board was really appealing.’

Both acknowledge that the training contract demanded a significant amount of personal time and effort to gain their qualifications.

‘Getting the balance right between work, study and home life was important,’ Alan said.  ‘I was made aware of the challenges before starting but despite thinking I knew what I was letting myself in for, until you actually go through it you don’t fully appreciate what you will face.  The frequency of exams is particularly challenging. I spent the first 2 weeks at college with exams immediately after and it continues from there. Just as you finish one set of exams it seems as though you are moving on to study for the next.  But if you pass all your exams first time this does have the big attraction that you can complete your studies in just over 2 years, which is a great motivation.’

He added: ‘The one piece of advice I would give anyone starting their training contract is don’t underestimate what you are letting yourself in for.  Working hard is obviously important, but I found it just as important to find something to take my mind away from work and study to help me de-stress.  For me this was going to the gym.’

Matt agrees that being able to get the right balance between work and social life when you are training is essential.  ‘When you’re working all day and trying to fit in your studies as well, you have to make sure there is time to do other things, otherwise you will exhaust yourself very quickly.’

So what kept them both engaged with the training and what is it that continues to motivate them now their studies have finished?

‘I’ve had exposure to a wide variety of assignments,’ said Matt.  ‘Most friends think I sit behind a computer all day playing with Excel spreadsheets.  But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  I am always out at different clients learning about their business, seeing how it works.  Being able to spend time with my clients and understand their business and its personality is what I enjoy the most.’

Similarly, Alan spends much of his time away from his desk meeting clients.  ‘When I was training I got to know the clients I worked with, and being able to develop those relationships as a manager really helps me to understand their business.  As a trainee I gained experience in my second and third years of supervising colleagues and developing my managerial skills.  I was regularly on assignments with new members of the team, and took responsibility for helping them settle in.’

Matt suggested that the main thing for anyone considering a career in accountancy to think about is the type of work experience on offer from different training firms.  ‘A lot of the training, especially for the ICAEW ACA qualification, is undertaken locally by BPP so the academic study is the same whichever firm you are with,’ he said.  ‘What is different between each firm is the working environment and experience and it is important to identify the firm that you will fit best with.’

‘Jersey has a great range of good quality firms.  It’s all about finding the right one for you.  Make sure you research the firms and speak to as many as you can.  And make sure you keep an eye on life away from the office and the classroom.’  Alan agreed, saying: ‘I really enjoyed my training and continue to find new challenges now as a manager.  But I have to make sure this is balanced with a social life.  The training can be intense, so giving yourself time to relax is really important.’

This article was published in the December 2016 Jersey Evening Post Careers and Employment Review