Our staff spotlight this month is Beth! She explains her role as an accountant here at The Accountancy Partnership.

What is your job title?

Accounts Senior

Give an overview of the duties, functions and responsibilities of your job.

I am responsible for my clients’ annual accounts, VAT returns, self-assessment tax returns, and any general queries that they may have.

I’m also responsible for a team of trainees. I try to ensure that they’re happy in their ability to cater to our clients’ needs, and work on training them through our in-house levels to become Accounts Seniors themselves.

We also peer review at TAP. Essentially this means we all cast an eye over each others’ work to ensure things are correct for the client.

CPD (Continuing Professional Development) is important, too. Tax rates and legislation change all the time. As accountants advising our clients, we want to make sure that the information we’re presenting to them is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

What is a typical working day like for you?

A typical day starts with getting through any emails that have come in overnight. Then I like to check on my trainees, that they’re happy with their work, and going over any queries they might have.

We also hold initial consultations with new clients. This is really useful for us and for the client, because it allows us to get to know their business. This helps us advise them on what we deem to be appropriate for their business, such as tax efficiencies they could implement.

And of course, my day includes my accounts work. Prioritising deadline work first, then other tasks. Throughout the day I’m monitoring my emails, and answering any queries as soon as I can.

What particular challenges do you regularly encounter?

A regular part of the job is working through client records, so it’s important that we spot any missing information. For instance, if there are Amazon payments received into the company bank account, but no sales reports from the merchant sales platforms, this is something that needs attention.

Following up on the information can delay things, but as accountants we want a set of company accounts to reflect the true position of the company.

What are some of the biggest challenges faced by your clients?

At the moment it would have to be dealing with COVID-19, and the struggles small business are facing with the restrictions in place.

It’s hard enough running a profitable business, but to add COVID on top of that has been heart-breaking. It’s not just practical advice; some of my clients just want someone they can offload to.

How are you able to use your skills to solve problems for them?

I think just being an ear to those who need one solves a lot. Just getting it off your chest does wonders most of the time.

In terms of the general accounting queries that I get, explanation is the key. I ensure that I explain things in a way that is easy to understand, and not overly technical, or reliant on accounting jargon. This usually eases their mind.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I really like the fact that every day is different. Due to how varied the client base is, questions tend to go from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Providing accounting work for different types of clients requires a good range of skills, too. For example, a residential rental company requires knowledge around mortgage interest, and what is claimable, whereas a construction company may require CIS calculations and reconciliation.

What do you like most about working for The Accountancy Partnership?

That definitely has to be the people who work here. They are such a mad bunch, but you wouldn’t want anything less.

With COVID hitting, and the fact that we have been working from home since March, I’ve found it hard not seeing everyone every day. I genuinely cannot wait until this is all over, and we can go back to the office!

What skills do you find most useful to do your job?

The fact that I love maths helps a lot. I don’t think you can do this job if you don’t find numbers interesting. Time management is a big one too, especially with deadline work that needs to be completed ASAP, alongside your other jobs.

With the training aspect of my job, I suppose I need to be good at that too – none of them have complained yet!

Where’s your favourite place to visit on days off?

Anywhere that my nephew Harry is. My boyfriend and I have been taking him for walks most weekends since lockdown, and I genuinely believe that little boy has kept us sane throughout this whole weird experience.

One of our favourite places to walk has got to be up Bidston Hill. The views from the top are second to none, right over the whole of the Wirral.

Tell us about your proudest achievement.

I guess that would have to be when I received my ACCA qualification. I had pretty much been working full time, as well as training outside office hours for that moment, for around 6 and a half years. So now, once I close my PC down for the day, and there’s no more studying, it’s a pretty sweet feeling!

How would your colleagues describe you?

There is an inside joke amongst the TAP lot that I’m ‘the best accountant in the world’. Who’s to say if that’s true or not..?!

What are you reading/binge watching at the moment?

At the moment I am reading the new Hunger Games Book, ‘The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes’. I feel quite nostalgic reading it, so I have the original trilogy lined up for when I’m finished.

I have just finished watched ‘Des’, which was super creepy, but really interesting, and I’m also most of the way through ‘The Fall’.

Who do you admire, and why?

I lost my grandmother earlier this year, due to complications with her heart. She had been severely ill most of my life, and it was the most heart-breaking situation I have ever had to go through.

She was who I most admired in my life. She was the most resilient, warm, caring person, and never let her illness get in the way of living. She led the fullest of lives, and always took the opportunity to speak about her belief in God with anyone who would listen (sometimes even with people who wouldn’t), and that is what I loved so much about her.

She died during the strict COVID-19 lockdown so I hadn’t actually seen her for a long time before she passed, and that will be something that I always regret. Her funeral was not what she deserved, with only immediate family being able to attend, and no wake to allow her many friends and extended family to reminisce and remember her.

What question would you really like to answer, and what’s the answer?!

Haha, the question would be my boyfriend asking me to marry him! And I can’t answer that here, it will ruin the surprise!!
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