I’m a Level 4 Finance Apprentice at Transport for London (TfL). I rotate around different placements and right now I’m on my fifth placement in the Projects to Assets team.
After finishing my A-levels in Maths, Business and Economics in 2019, I went to university for a year to study Financial Economics. But I already knew I wanted to work in accounting.
When I learned about the finance apprenticeship at TfL and saw there was the opportunity to earn a salary and get a qualification that would help me build a career, it seemed ideal. Now, I’m loving life! Doing an apprenticeship is the best choice I’ve ever made.
A valued team member
Apprentices are seen as an important addition to the team at TfL, so I’m given my own projects and workload. Yesterday, I had around 50 different project files to work on. I know the experience I’ve gained during this placement will really help me in the long-term, while the systems I’ve learned relate to my CIMA studies so far.
Insightful work placements
When I first started my apprenticeship at TfL, I was placed in Accounts Payable, processing things like invoices, credit notes, utilities bills and one-time payments. I made one of my biggest achievements to date in this team, recovering around £500,000 worth of credit notes for the company – not bad for my first placement!
After that, I worked in Master Data, carrying out background checks on new customers and vendors for TfL, with my own projects to manage. I also got involved in HR and payroll from a governance point of view.
Then I worked in Order to Cash, working on ticket sales insights and reconciling sales information from 200 different stations. I learned lots of new systems during my time on this team – it definitely wasn’t just about spreadsheets!
My fourth placement was in Reporting. I worked closely with some of the Finance Business Partners at the company, which was a fantastic learning opportunity because I want to be a Finance Business Partner in the future. I was also able to attend a training course as part of this placement to learn how to use the reporting systems.
CIMA gives you a lot of insight into business partnering, which is what I want to do in the future. There’s a lot of focus with CIMA on leadership and how to be a manager and applying that to your current company.
Why management accounting?
I’d done work experience in audit before, but it didn’t interest me – it was the same process over and over again and I found it very repetitive. With CIMA and management accounting, it’s more strategic. There are different ways to approach your work and various outcomes and solutions.
There’s also the fact that technology is progressing fast in finance and the CIMA syllabus reflects that. I think CIMA and TfL work really well together, because TfL is about customers and CIMA puts a lot of emphasis on that. The values align well.
CIMA also gives you a lot of insight into business partnering, which is what I want to do in the future. There’s a lot of focus with CIMA on leadership and how to be a manager and applying that to your current company.
Choosing an apprenticeship over university
Apprenticeships are the way to build a career in accounting. You get paid and you get your qualification paid for. If you go to university and take out a student loan, you’ll be leaving with around £32,000 in debt. If an apprenticeship leads to a role and qualification you’ve always wanted, why wouldn’t you go for it?
With an apprenticeship, you get direct work experience and business experience. And you get to see first-hand how what you’re learning fits in with a real-life role. You don’t get that at university, it’s much more theoretical.
When I learned about the finance apprenticeship at TfL and saw there was the opportunity to earn a salary and get a qualification that would enable me to build a career, it seemed ideal. Now, I’m loving life! Doing an apprenticeship is the best choice I’ve ever made.
The importance of networking
An apprenticeship helps you network and make contacts, which is so important for the future and building a career. I’ve built great relationships with my placement managers, and I know any of them would be happy to bring me on board into their team.
CIMA puts a lot of emphasis on professional networking and the need to be proactive – to get your name out there. It’s definitely helped me build confidence and I feel like I can go for more senior roles because I’ve built a professional reputation for myself.
Balancing work and study
Apprentices are well looked after at TfL. We get study leave in addition to our annual leave, so preparing for exams doesn’t eat into your holiday allowance. Everyone is aware that apprentices are not in a full-time role and exams are a big part of what we do. There’s a great culture at TfL that is very supportive and there’s a big emphasis on professional development.
It helps that my CIMA studies have been really relevant to my work, particularly for certain placements. At the BA2 level of the Cert BA, for example, I learned about reconciliations. I could apply that knowledge directly to my work in the Order to Cash team. In the Cert BA, we learn about ethics and law and ensuring that you’re ethically responsible. My placements have helped me see how that’s really important, especially at a senior level.
My Economics A-level gave me a good grounding for the Cert BA. There was a natural continuation in learning for a lot of the subjects covered. I do expect it to get more challenging as I progress to Level 7 and the CIMA Professional Qualification, though! But it’s easy to learn when you’re passionate about what you do.
Work to be proud of
I’ve achieved something I’m proud of in every placement so far. I’ve gone above and beyond on every task I’ve been given, and it’s often led to extra projects. I’ve even ended up doing the work of a fully qualified management accountant, which is huge for me. It shows I’ve gained trust from senior employers and that I can perform at a higher level.
Looking to the future
In the next four years, I’ll be a fully qualified CIMA management accountant with CGMA status. Then, I want to become a business partner. My final placement at TfL is a business partnering role and if I do really well in that, there’s the potential that I’ll be given a permanent role. 10 years from now, I’d like to be a senior finance business partner or director – and I know it’s possible with my CIMA qualification and work ethic.
The power of opportunity
I’ve been given much more challenging work since I’ve completed my Cert BA exams because my managers know I have the skills and knowledge to succeed. CIMA proves how capable I am and has given me the opportunity to prove myself.
