WEBVTT - ...is accountancy boring? 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:05.130 Hey there, I'm Maiki Lynch and I'm an accountant. I know, 0:00:05.130 --> 0:00:07.080 I know... I work with numbers, but I like to 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:11.370 think I'm a people person too. However, unless you're an accountant, 0:00:11.460 --> 0:00:13.769 or working in finance, or you are best mates with 0:00:13.770 --> 0:00:16.079 someone who is, I bet I know what you're thinking... " 0:00:16.949 --> 0:00:19.470 What do accountants actually do?" " Don't you have to be 0:00:19.470 --> 0:00:21.690 really good at maths?" " What does it mean to work 0:00:21.690 --> 0:00:25.230 in finance?" " Isn't it super boring and stressful and just 0:00:25.230 --> 0:00:28.589 lots of messing around with spreadsheets?" Well, the thing is, 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:31.168 we all do a lot of different things. We didn't 0:00:31.170 --> 0:00:34.139 all win maths prizes at school. Many of us didn't 0:00:34.139 --> 0:00:37.290 even go to uni, and we've all had our unique 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:41.129 journeys to getting here. So, in this new series from ACCA, 0:00:41.370 --> 0:00:44.220 I'm sitting down with some real- life accountants and people 0:00:44.220 --> 0:00:46.888 who work in finance to bust some of the myths 0:00:46.889 --> 0:00:49.889 that you might not even realist you believe about this 0:00:49.889 --> 0:00:52.859 amazing career path. We'll be cracking open the core of 0:00:52.859 --> 0:00:55.380 what it's actually like. From the happy moments - 0:00:55.470 --> 0:00:58.291 I cried, to be honest. I cried with happiness. 0:00:58.291 --> 0:00:59.430 To the bumps in the road. 0:01:00.150 --> 0:01:01.380 My confidence was really knocked. 0:01:01.470 --> 0:01:02.790 And the silliness in between. 0:01:03.210 --> 0:01:06.480 Going out to t he tap room and drinking loads of 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:08.429 free beer, which is brilliant. 0:01:09.030 --> 0:01:13.708 Welcome to By All Accounts. Now, I did my accountancy 0:01:13.740 --> 0:01:17.130 training back in 2011, starting off working on the sales 0:01:17.130 --> 0:01:20.940 ledger and progressing through to becoming a management accountant. And 0:01:20.940 --> 0:01:24.420 even though I now work in education for ACCA, I 0:01:24.420 --> 0:01:26.970 still remember the looks I got when I told people 0:01:27.030 --> 0:01:29.818 that I was training to be an accountant. I'd say 0:01:29.819 --> 0:01:32.550 the number one thing that went unsaid was, " Isn't that 0:01:32.550 --> 0:01:35.250 going to be really boring?" So I found two people 0:01:35.250 --> 0:01:38.279 who currently work in accounting and finance to ask, is 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:44.070 your job really boring? First up, Angelika Cyrulinska. Welcome. 0:01:44.099 --> 0:01:44.549 Hiya. 0:01:44.700 --> 0:01:46.260 And Remi Allen- Bond. Hello. 0:01:46.379 --> 0:01:47.821 Hi. Nice to meet you. 0:01:47.821 --> 0:01:50.220 So, what do you reckon? Is finance really boring? 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:53.040 I wouldn't say it's really boring. I would say, for example, 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:55.680 my current job, I'm involved in so many different things 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:59.669 that you wouldn't typically think an accountant would be involved with. 0:02:00.150 --> 0:02:03.270 And I think that is what makes my job fun 0:02:03.389 --> 0:02:05.580 on a daily basis - it's the reason why I will 0:02:05.580 --> 0:02:08.430 continue to be an accountant probably for the rest of ... 0:02:08.970 --> 0:02:09.361 Until I retire! 0:02:09.361 --> 0:02:09.362 I was just about say that's quite a commitment there! 0:02:09.361 --> 0:02:13.831 Yeah, I know 0:02:13.831 --> 0:02:14.579 Till death do we part! 0:02:14.610 --> 0:02:19.950 Yeah. Maybe not in the same position I'm at, but 0:02:20.490 --> 0:02:22.469 I don't think, when I first started, I imagined I'll 0:02:22.469 --> 0:02:24.449 be an accountant forever. I think I wanted to get 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:28.680 the qualification to open up a bit more opportunity for 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.739 myself. But, it wasn't until I started my current role 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:35.369 that I thought actually this isn't anything I expected. And 0:02:35.429 --> 0:02:38.070 I think that my job alone now opens even more 0:02:38.070 --> 0:02:42.959 opportunities to things that are not typical accountant roles, I guess. 0:02:43.020 --> 0:02:46.050 Can I ask... you talk about what you perhaps expected 0:02:46.050 --> 0:02:47.970 it to be. Did you expect that it was going 0:02:47.970 --> 0:02:49.410 to be boring, potentially? 0:02:49.650 --> 0:02:51.900 I did. I thought it was going to be a 0:02:51.900 --> 0:02:55.980 lot of data entry and Excel spreadsheets and that's all 0:02:55.980 --> 0:03:01.350 the job entailed. But, I think when I first started 0:03:01.350 --> 0:03:06.900 my job as an auditor, it was more just analyzing data, 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:11.400 drawing conclusions from the data and then applying it to decision- making, 0:03:11.790 --> 0:03:14.940 which I obviously didn't expect. I definitely thought it was not going to 0:03:14.940 --> 0:03:18.180 be the funnest job. And definitely when I tell people 0:03:18.180 --> 0:03:20.910 I'm an accountant, I get some funny looks like, " Oh, 0:03:20.910 --> 0:03:23.850 you must be a fun person to be around!" I 0:03:23.850 --> 0:03:26.790 think people have an expectation of what you're like. But, 0:03:26.790 --> 0:03:29.639 I wouldn't say that's true at all, based off myself 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:30.418 and my friends. 0:03:30.540 --> 0:03:32.610 Remi, if I can just bring you into the conversation 0:03:32.610 --> 0:03:35.700 about is it boring? Do you think finance is boring? 0:03:36.270 --> 0:03:38.820 Not at all. No. I think like Angelika was saying there, 0:03:38.850 --> 0:03:43.200 it is massively varied. So, my journey in finance, I've 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:47.369 done three different roles in the past four- ish years, 0:03:47.790 --> 0:03:52.439 from your day- to- day corporate accounting reporting to working 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:56.370 in treasury for a bank, to working in strategy, corporate development. 0:03:56.790 --> 0:03:59.130 And all of those I've been able to do because 0:03:59.340 --> 0:04:01.890 I trained as an accountant. So, I think there's a 0:04:01.890 --> 0:04:06.690 lot more to accounting and to accountancy qualifications than just 0:04:06.690 --> 0:04:10.559 do an accounting, necessarily. So, even if accounting isn't for 0:04:10.559 --> 0:04:12.539 you, there are still many, many things that you can do with 0:04:12.539 --> 0:04:14.279 it outside of core accounting. 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:16.710 I love to hear that and I completely agree with 0:04:16.740 --> 0:04:19.770 what you both said about the breadth of roles that 0:04:19.770 --> 0:04:22.139 can be offered. Angelika, I wonder if I can come 0:04:22.139 --> 0:04:25.500 back to you. Where are you working at the moment and 0:04:25.500 --> 0:04:27.059 what is it that your job entails? 0:04:27.059 --> 0:04:29.639 So, at the moment I work at Mercedes- Benz as 0:04:29.639 --> 0:04:32.789 a finance business partner. And my two areas that I 0:04:32.790 --> 0:04:36.719 look after is investments and facilities. So, I basically look 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:41.279 at the projects that we invest our money into and 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:46.049 also the costs of running our building and stuff like that. So, 0:04:46.199 --> 0:04:48.600 I work with a lot of my business partners to 0:04:48.870 --> 0:04:53.250 see how we can work more efficiently and to save 0:04:53.250 --> 0:04:56.099 costs where we can, but still get the same quality. 0:04:56.220 --> 0:04:59.010 That's fantastic and that sounds like a very exciting workplace. 0:04:59.610 --> 0:05:02.339 What reaction do you normally get when people ask you 0:05:02.339 --> 0:05:02.580 where you work and what you do? 0:05:02.581 --> 0:05:06.720 People are quite surprised that I work at Mercedes. I think 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:08.910 a lot of people expect you to work for an 0:05:08.910 --> 0:05:12.300 accountancy practice. I think a lot of my friends, initially 0:05:12.300 --> 0:05:15.450 when I said I was an accountant, people come to 0:05:15.450 --> 0:05:20.428 me with tax questions quite often. So, I think people 0:05:20.428 --> 0:05:23.580 don't necessarily take into account that you can work for 0:05:23.910 --> 0:05:27.719 so many different industries. And, if you're interested in something, 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:30.510 you can work in that industry, whether that's music or 0:05:30.510 --> 0:05:33.539 fashion or cars, for example. You can go into that 0:05:33.540 --> 0:05:36.570 industry still and work in the finance section. 0:05:36.599 --> 0:05:38.460 Do you like it? And if you do, what do 0:05:38.460 --> 0:05:39.150 you like about it? 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:41.429 I do really like it. I like the people I 0:05:41.430 --> 0:05:44.700 get to work with. I get to work with and 0:05:44.700 --> 0:05:48.360 collaborate with many people throughout the business that are doing 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:51.659 different things that aren't anything finance- related. And I really 0:05:51.660 --> 0:05:55.710 enjoy talking to them and being able to have an 0:05:55.710 --> 0:05:59.309 insight into... not the finance sector I guess, which I 0:05:59.309 --> 0:06:02.370 deal with, but also their challenges and what they're looking 0:06:02.370 --> 0:06:05.580 to do and then help them and have an input. 0:06:05.790 --> 0:06:07.738 So, you're working with lots of different teams throughout the 0:06:07.740 --> 0:06:11.219 organization who aren't necessarily your finance function at Mercedes? 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:11.549 Yep. 0:06:11.790 --> 0:06:13.529 Remi, I'd like to come to you and just to hear about 0:06:13.529 --> 0:06:14.940 your job. Can you tell us where you work and what it is that you do? 0:06:14.940 --> 0:06:21.180 So, I work for Santander UK in their Strategy and Corporate Development 0:06:21.180 --> 0:06:24.930 team. So, what that means, we have essentially three main 0:06:24.930 --> 0:06:28.109 roles. The first one is determining the bank's long- term 0:06:28.110 --> 0:06:32.099 strategy. A second part is corporate development, which is your 0:06:32.099 --> 0:06:33.868 typical mergers and acquisitions. 0:06:34.170 --> 0:06:34.320 Lovely. 0:06:34.410 --> 0:06:39.000 And then the third part is strategic projects. That's like 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:40.050 your internal consultants. 0:06:40.290 --> 0:06:42.870 How did you get there? I know that so many 0:06:42.870 --> 0:06:45.959 people perhaps who are listening, they may be thinking, " Gosh, 0:06:46.170 --> 0:06:48.660 I'd love to have that job." How did you get there? 0:06:48.750 --> 0:06:52.020 So, most of my team have backgrounds in either investment 0:06:52.020 --> 0:06:56.308 banking or in consultancy. The way I got there was a 0:06:56.310 --> 0:07:00.180 bit different. So, I did a graduate program at Santander 0:07:00.690 --> 0:07:04.259 after finishing uni. So, I went through a few rotations 0:07:04.380 --> 0:07:07.229 on the grad scheme. And in my third year my 0:07:07.230 --> 0:07:10.619 rotation was in that team. And I guess I impressed 0:07:10.619 --> 0:07:12.629 them while there, because they decided to keep me when 0:07:12.629 --> 0:07:14.910 their scheme finally ended and I'm still there now. 0:07:15.030 --> 0:07:18.900 Congratulations. So, you got to try out different areas of 0:07:18.900 --> 0:07:20.340 the business when you're saying rotations- 0:07:20.340 --> 0:07:20.610 Exactly. 0:07:20.610 --> 0:07:23.160 You got to try out different areas. And this particular 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:25.050 area that you were working in, it was a good fit? 0:07:25.050 --> 0:07:26.011 It was a good fit. Precisely. Yeah. 0:07:26.011 --> 0:07:29.219 And how do people react when you say you work 0:07:29.219 --> 0:07:30.239 in finance, that you are a chartered accountant? 0:07:31.710 --> 0:07:33.570 Like Angelika said, they asked me to do taxes for 0:07:33.570 --> 0:07:38.579 them, is the most common response! But, no. They're generally impressed because 0:07:38.580 --> 0:07:41.070 it is a recognized profession worldwide. 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:42.900 And is that what attracted you to the profession? 0:07:43.020 --> 0:07:46.170 So, what attracted me then was one, yeah. Of course, 0:07:46.350 --> 0:07:49.320 it's recognized. There's a certain, I suppose, respect in having 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:51.930 done it and recognition in having done it. I think 0:07:51.930 --> 0:07:55.710 also just being wholly pragmatic. If we look at salaries 0:07:55.710 --> 0:07:59.489 and salary growth over the past few years, especially, finance 0:07:59.790 --> 0:08:02.310 has been one of the few sectors in the UK 0:08:02.820 --> 0:08:05.910 that has seen consistent strong salary growth. So, in terms 0:08:05.910 --> 0:08:07.739 of a long- term career, it's a very good one to be in. 0:08:07.739 --> 0:08:11.520 I completely understand where you're coming from there. Angelika, I 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:13.080 wonder if I can come to you. What were your 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:14.371 reasons for going into finance? 0:08:14.371 --> 0:08:19.290 I guess I was a bit similar with the money aspect. 0:08:19.380 --> 0:08:23.279 That seemed quite attractive to me. But, also I quite 0:08:23.279 --> 0:08:27.960 liked problem solving and it all came about because I 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:32.250 worked in retail during my gap year and I did 0:08:32.460 --> 0:08:35.940 some back- of- house admin stuff and looking into unusual 0:08:35.940 --> 0:08:39.240 transactions, etc. And that's what made me think that I 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:42.120 would be good at audit, which was my first job 0:08:42.150 --> 0:08:44.460 doing accountancy, I guess. So, I guess a bit of 0:08:44.460 --> 0:08:46.710 both. I thought money and then I thought I would 0:08:46.710 --> 0:08:47.430 enjoy it as well. 0:08:47.490 --> 0:08:49.980 What is audit? I sometimes think of it as a little 0:08:49.980 --> 0:08:53.820 bit like detective work. But, how would you define audit 0:08:53.820 --> 0:08:54.839 or what do you think audit is? 0:08:55.469 --> 0:08:57.960 I guess it is a bit of that. It's basically 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:01.348 just going to a business and making sure their financial 0:09:01.350 --> 0:09:05.189 records are reflecting what they should be reflecting and the 0:09:05.190 --> 0:09:08.670 figures are correct and accurate. And I guess a lot 0:09:08.670 --> 0:09:13.050 of it is kind of questioning some of the judgments 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:16.679 the finance department in the certain business have made. It 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:19.559 was a little bit daunting at first going into a 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.710 business as an audit junior and questioning people that have 0:09:22.710 --> 0:09:26.400 been an accountant for 20- plus years, being like finance 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:30.779 directors and questioning them on I guess their judgments and 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:33.330 what the figures are representing, et cetera. 0:09:33.389 --> 0:09:36.419 So, you came out of retail and you moved into 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:38.880 audit? Can you tell us a little bit about what 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:41.130 you did at that particular point as your entry role 0:09:41.130 --> 0:09:44.850 into accountancy? And perhaps any study that went along with that? 0:09:44.970 --> 0:09:48.270 Yeah. Sure. So I started on a school- leavers program, 0:09:48.780 --> 0:09:51.210 the same as an apprenticeship, I guess, for a practice. 0:09:51.210 --> 0:09:53.728 They did audit and accounts, but I was mostly in 0:09:53.730 --> 0:09:58.500 the audit department. I left the practice, because I wanted 0:09:58.500 --> 0:10:03.150 to focus more on some accounts and tax work, which 0:10:03.150 --> 0:10:06.150 I wasn't exposed to very much at the time. So, 0:10:06.150 --> 0:10:08.370 then I moved into a smaller practice to do just 0:10:08.370 --> 0:10:12.149 that. And then, when the time came up, I built up my confidence 0:10:12.150 --> 0:10:15.120 dealing with clients, et cetera. The job at Mercedes came 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.840 up as a financial accountant, which is what I originally 0:10:18.870 --> 0:10:21.030 started with. And then, obviously, now I'm here in my 0:10:21.030 --> 0:10:25.110 current role. But, I then started my ACCA and then 0:10:25.170 --> 0:10:28.620 it took me around three years to do ACCA. So, 0:10:28.740 --> 0:10:30.960 all in all, it took me about five years to 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:33.870 go from nothing to being qualified. 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:34.710 So you're qualified- 0:10:35.001 --> 0:10:35.910 Yes. I'm qualified now- 0:10:36.270 --> 0:10:36.569 qualified? 0:10:36.780 --> 0:10:39.509 Recently. Not too long ago, actually. I got my results 0:10:39.510 --> 0:10:40.139 in October. 0:10:40.380 --> 0:10:41.189 Oh, congratulations. 0:10:41.460 --> 0:10:41.910 Thank you. 0:10:41.910 --> 0:10:42.809 Congratulations. 0:10:42.809 --> 0:10:42.809 Thank you. 0:10:42.809 --> 0:10:46.049 How did you feel when you passed, when you'd realized that 0:10:46.139 --> 0:10:49.710 after five years of study it's all done? It's all done and you're chartered? 0:10:49.710 --> 0:10:52.620 Yeah. So I wasn't as cool about it. I wasn't very 0:10:52.620 --> 0:10:57.090 confident. So, I cried to be honest. I cried with 0:10:57.090 --> 0:10:59.849 happiness. I was really, really happy, because I wasn't expecting 0:10:59.849 --> 0:11:02.519 to pass my last exam. I have passed all the 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:05.910 other ones first time, luckily. But, the last exam I 0:11:05.910 --> 0:11:09.088 felt was so tough. I really wasn't expecting to pass. 0:11:09.090 --> 0:11:11.098 And when the results came through and I actually did 0:11:11.100 --> 0:11:14.639 quite well, I just felt just all the relief. And 0:11:14.639 --> 0:11:18.059 just five years of work just paid off in that 0:11:18.059 --> 0:11:19.769 moment. I just felt really, really good. 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.098 That's fantastic. And I can see you just glowing, just 0:11:23.100 --> 0:11:27.328 reliving that moment right there. And now that you are 0:11:27.330 --> 0:11:30.780 qualified, do you feel it's turned out how you expected? 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:33.630 I guess yes and no. I don't know. I built 0:11:33.630 --> 0:11:36.030 it up in my head so much that I didn't 0:11:36.030 --> 0:11:38.549 really know what to expect. I was just looking forward 0:11:38.549 --> 0:11:42.179 to the end of my exams and just having all 0:11:42.179 --> 0:11:44.699 that extra time, because I feel like after school I 0:11:44.700 --> 0:11:46.858 had my gap year and then I went straight into 0:11:46.860 --> 0:11:50.879 studying again. But then, in the other aspect is I 0:11:50.940 --> 0:11:53.700 feel like I'm more confident in my role now. I 0:11:53.700 --> 0:11:55.920 feel like I have got more knowledge than I did 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:59.338 before. Thinking back to the audit junior days, where I 0:11:59.340 --> 0:12:02.940 was a little bit clueless, now to actually being able 0:12:02.940 --> 0:12:05.640 to do and explain what I'm doing to others. 0:12:05.940 --> 0:12:10.589 And so, you've moved through so many different bits of 0:12:10.590 --> 0:12:13.049 the various roles that you can have within accounting, finance, 0:12:13.049 --> 0:12:15.870 even within such a short time. Do you feel that 0:12:15.900 --> 0:12:20.520 there's room for creativity? I don't want to say " creative accountancy." That's not 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:23.070 what I'm saying. But, do you feel that there's room 0:12:23.070 --> 0:12:25.860 for creativity in your role as a finance business partner, in 0:12:25.860 --> 0:12:28.349 what you are doing in Mercedes and working with all the various 0:12:28.349 --> 0:12:29.280 teams that they have? 0:12:29.639 --> 0:12:32.790 Yeah. Definitely. I think we always have to think outside 0:12:32.790 --> 0:12:35.249 the box of how we can be the most efficient 0:12:35.250 --> 0:12:38.190 we can and cut costs. And when I collaborate with 0:12:38.190 --> 0:12:41.550 my business partners and they have ideas of how they 0:12:41.550 --> 0:12:43.980 want to carry out the business, I can then look 0:12:43.980 --> 0:12:48.359 into the financials. And we can consider multiple options, compare 0:12:49.500 --> 0:12:51.389 how much is it going to cost us? What benefits 0:12:51.389 --> 0:12:53.039 are we going to get? And sometimes it takes a 0:12:53.039 --> 0:12:54.750 lot of outside- the- box thinking. 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:56.309 I think that leverages on some of the things that you 0:12:56.309 --> 0:12:58.679 mentioned that you enjoyed earlier on in your career and that 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:02.340 you realized that you had those skills for problem- solving 0:13:03.210 --> 0:13:05.670 essentially, and coming up with those ideas and sharing them 0:13:05.670 --> 0:13:07.860 within the business. Remi, I want to come back to 0:13:07.860 --> 0:13:09.870 you. Would you say the job has turned out how 0:13:09.870 --> 0:13:10.650 you expected? 0:13:10.710 --> 0:13:14.250 I would say so, yes. I didn't really go in with 0:13:14.429 --> 0:13:18.240 a vision of how it would be in the end. The 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:20.578 kind of role I'm doing now is what I wanted 0:13:20.580 --> 0:13:23.339 to do when I first joined them, but didn't know it actually 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:25.319 had a name. I didn't know that my actual current 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:29.010 role was actually a role that existed. So, it turned 0:13:29.010 --> 0:13:31.050 out as I hoped it would, but not really as 0:13:31.050 --> 0:13:31.770 I'd expected it would. 0:13:32.489 --> 0:13:36.390 That's interesting. Would you say that there's space for creativity 0:13:36.390 --> 0:13:36.780 in what you are doing? 0:13:38.309 --> 0:13:42.958 100%. My role is so massively varied in what we 0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:46.020 do. No two projects are going to be the same. 0:13:46.170 --> 0:13:48.900 Every year the strategy evolves. The thing I like about it 0:13:48.900 --> 0:13:53.610 most is the variety involved in it and the need 0:13:53.610 --> 0:13:56.490 to adapt. I didn't want to have a role where 0:13:56.910 --> 0:14:00.030 it was monotonous, or where there was too much routine 0:14:00.030 --> 0:14:03.299 involved. I wanted a role that challenged me to come to work 0:14:03.299 --> 0:14:05.879 each day and not quite know what's going to happen, 0:14:06.719 --> 0:14:08.819 which is what I get now. Don't get me wrong, 0:14:08.910 --> 0:14:13.679 that there are roles and people do enjoy roles where, say, 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.858 it could be monthly cycles or that stuff and that 0:14:16.860 --> 0:14:19.380 is fine. I've done those as well and they were 0:14:19.380 --> 0:14:21.870 fun and in different way, because you were able to 0:14:22.379 --> 0:14:26.070 perfect a task. But, I personally like the challenge of 0:14:26.070 --> 0:14:26.701 the ad hoc nature of my current role. 0:14:26.701 --> 0:14:30.240 I really like the way you explained that, the point 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:33.120 in your career when you're acquiring those skills, you are 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:37.529 perfecting that particular task. You are acquiring that skill and 0:14:37.590 --> 0:14:39.599 I guess you're at a point now where you've moved 0:14:39.599 --> 0:14:42.990 on and you're able to deal with change, basically. Change 0:14:42.990 --> 0:14:46.500 that's happening and change that's happening faster than perhaps it's 0:14:46.500 --> 0:14:49.650 ever happened before. So, Angelika, can you tell us a 0:14:49.650 --> 0:14:53.639 little bit more about the lifestyle that this career path 0:14:53.639 --> 0:14:54.270 has given you? 0:14:54.389 --> 0:14:58.109 I feel like there's definitely some perks from, especially my 0:14:58.139 --> 0:15:00.780 current job at the moment. For example, now in my 0:15:00.780 --> 0:15:04.200 current role, I get to drive one of the Mercedes cars, 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:08.040 so that's part of a, I guess, staff reward scheme 0:15:08.099 --> 0:15:13.049 where I basically get given a car to drive and experience. So, 0:15:13.049 --> 0:15:16.109 it's significantly cheaper. I'd definitely not be able to afford 0:15:16.109 --> 0:15:19.050 to get the same car I drive now if I 0:15:19.050 --> 0:15:23.730 was to buy it, for example. So, yeah. That definitely helps, 0:15:23.730 --> 0:15:25.890 especially that I really like the cars! 0:15:28.110 --> 0:15:30.990 I suspected you may do, if you work for Mercedes. It 0:15:30.990 --> 0:15:33.839 would be a perk if you were enthusiastic about the 0:15:33.839 --> 0:15:34.679 car industry. 0:15:34.740 --> 0:15:35.160 Yeah. 0:15:36.570 --> 0:15:38.609 Remi, also coming to you. Can you talk to us a 0:15:38.610 --> 0:15:43.020 little bit about the lifestyle that choosing accounting and finance 0:15:43.020 --> 0:15:43.530 has giving you? 0:15:43.650 --> 0:15:45.120 Well, no free cars, unfortunately. 0:15:45.870 --> 0:15:46.111 Sad times. 0:15:46.111 --> 0:15:50.580 I know. So, I think that a lot of finance firms, banks 0:15:50.580 --> 0:15:53.789 specifically, do reward their people quite well and do treat 0:15:53.789 --> 0:15:57.720 them quite well. Speaking solely from Santander, it's all 0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:01.080 very nice. The salary we've touched on already, is good 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:04.980 for the industry. There are other perks, pension providing, tons of annual 0:16:04.980 --> 0:16:10.409 leave. Then there's other things like annual bonuses, which is 0:16:10.500 --> 0:16:13.890 additional funding, company car schemes. So, there's a lot of 0:16:13.890 --> 0:16:17.250 things there, which all adds to the bottom line individually. 0:16:17.430 --> 0:16:20.279 I want to ask you, are careers in accountancy and 0:16:20.279 --> 0:16:24.271 finance boring and uncreative therefore? And how do you feel? 0:16:24.271 --> 0:16:28.949 I feel like that is a wholly undeserved stereotype. And I 0:16:28.949 --> 0:16:31.920 say that, because if you look at even just Angelika 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:40.320 and me, our roles are both in accountancy and finance, but wholly different roles. And both require creativity 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:40.830 to do them. 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:42.899 Angelika, can I come to you just to hear your thoughts 0:16:42.900 --> 0:16:43.589 on that question? 0:16:43.650 --> 0:16:47.129 I completely agree. I think there's so much variety in 0:16:47.129 --> 0:16:50.040 what accountancy and finance is and you can pretty much 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:54.300 make of it what you want. You can definitely personalize 0:16:54.300 --> 0:16:56.730 it to yourself and what you're interested in. 0:16:56.820 --> 0:16:58.500 I agree. And I think you both work in some 0:16:58.500 --> 0:17:02.880 very exciting industries. And I like that you've also recognized that 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:05.699 there's the opportunity to move about, to move from one 0:17:05.699 --> 0:17:08.668 industry to another, from banking to cars. And so, I 0:17:08.670 --> 0:17:12.720 guess my last, question for you, Angelika, what advice would 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:16.138 you give someone perhaps who's listening now, who's considering a 0:17:16.138 --> 0:17:18.810 career in accounting and finance. What advice would you give them? 0:17:18.900 --> 0:17:21.779 I would probably say to do a bit of research 0:17:21.780 --> 0:17:25.168 into what does interest you the most. And if you 0:17:25.170 --> 0:17:27.270 don't have a complete plan of where you want to 0:17:27.270 --> 0:17:30.060 end up in a few years time, that's fine. But, 0:17:30.060 --> 0:17:33.119 I think looking into the type of accounting and finance 0:17:33.388 --> 0:17:36.629 that you want to do helps. And I think then 0:17:36.690 --> 0:17:40.019 if you know any accountants, then also talk to them 0:17:40.020 --> 0:17:44.700 and what they've experienced in their life. But also, there's 0:17:44.700 --> 0:17:48.629 so much stuff online that you can find nowadays, of people 0:17:48.630 --> 0:17:53.130 sharing their experiences. And also career fairs and stuff like 0:17:53.130 --> 0:17:56.460 that. I know ACCA did one not that long ago as well. 0:17:56.790 --> 0:18:00.840 So just attending them and finding out, I guess, more 0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:04.020 about the profession, because I think it does take a 0:18:04.020 --> 0:18:08.428 lot of commitment to get to a qualified position, I 0:18:08.429 --> 0:18:12.299 guess. So, that's what I would say. But just probably 0:18:12.300 --> 0:18:14.850 do a bit of research into what you'd be interested in. 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:18.388 Thank you. I think that's really sound advice. Remi, coming to you 0:18:18.388 --> 0:18:20.010 just with the same question. 0:18:20.100 --> 0:18:22.859 Yeah. So again, I'd echo first of all, do a 0:18:22.859 --> 0:18:25.470 bit of research. Speak to someone who's in the industry 0:18:26.280 --> 0:18:29.790 and see do they like it? I think that if 0:18:29.820 --> 0:18:33.178 you can join a rotational scheme, like a grad scheme, 0:18:33.450 --> 0:18:35.938 that's a great option, because it gives you ... It's built 0:18:35.940 --> 0:18:38.340 in that you'll have opportunities to look at different areas 0:18:38.670 --> 0:18:41.670 within accountancy and finance as part of that program. So, 0:18:41.670 --> 0:18:44.910 you'll have the chance to see... to try this and try 0:18:44.910 --> 0:18:48.030 that and say, "Oh, I like this, not that." And that can help you decide where you want 0:18:48.030 --> 0:18:50.938 to end up in the long term. The second thing that I'd 0:18:51.089 --> 0:18:55.260 say, or I suppose third thing now, is if you can join, 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:59.490 then even join doing something that's quite straightforward or more 0:18:59.580 --> 0:19:04.080 entry level, like say just financial reporting, financial accounting, because 0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:07.198 that will give you a good basis of what the 0:19:07.200 --> 0:19:11.190 industry actually is. It'll introduce you to other business areas 0:19:11.490 --> 0:19:15.388 within either your organization or elsewhere, and how they work and will 0:19:15.390 --> 0:19:17.700 allow you then to, if you want to move elsewhere, 0:19:17.850 --> 0:19:21.119 to grow your skillset and then move elsewhere. I think 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:23.220 the thing that's helped me most in my current role 0:19:23.790 --> 0:19:27.900 is having done financial reporting for a year. I use 0:19:27.900 --> 0:19:31.289 that knowledge today. Even though it's an entirely different job, 0:19:31.888 --> 0:19:34.830 the skills that you learn in it are useful anywhere. 0:19:35.730 --> 0:19:38.879 That's it from this episode of By All Accounts. Thank 0:19:38.880 --> 0:19:42.630 you Remi and Angelika for chatting with me today. For 0:19:42.630 --> 0:19:45.270 a link to watch the video version of this podcast, 0:19:45.388 --> 0:19:48.750 check out the show notes. With skills and accountancy and 0:19:48.750 --> 0:19:52.950 finance you can work in any business anywhere and turn 0:19:52.950 --> 0:19:56.728 your passion into an exciting and rewarding career with an 0:19:56.730 --> 0:20:00.898 ACCA qualification. You can sign up to find out more 0:20:01.080 --> 0:20:07.830 by heading to accaglobal. com/ buanywhere. That link is also 0:20:07.830 --> 0:20:10.980 in the show notes. See you next week. I'm Maiki 0:20:10.980 --> 0:20:15.510 Lynch and this has been By All Accounts. By All Accounts, 0:20:15.570 --> 0:20:19.438 is a Fresh Air production for ACCA. Its Lead Producer 0:20:19.710 --> 0:20:23.190 is Eva Higginbotham, with support from Sarah Moore. And its 0:20:23.190 --> 0:20:25.349 Executive Producer is Annie Day.