The size of the firm and the greater amount of opportunity to move into different areas of accountancy.

I am a Senior in the Business Services department in Exeter. Mostly I am involved in accounts prep for SMEs, as well as corporation tax computations. Since joining the firm I have also got involved in some corporate finance work including working on company valuations etc.

The greater amount of opportunity to move into areas I hadn’t considered before such as corporate finance etc, it’s not all just about accounts prep here.

The atmosphere is surprisingly relaxed, the one thing I was worried about in moving to a bigger firm was it being less relaxed and flexible etc. This couldn’t be further from the truth, the atmosphere in the office is very relaxed and positive, and is really conducive to a good work environment.

I  haven’t been here long, I was exam qualified in ACA when I joined the firm and have recently officially qualified. Since joining I have been given more responsibility and have begun first level reviews of accounts jobs which is a good stepping stone to progressing to a higher level role.

I was awarded the Howitt Prize for achieving the best result globally for my financial management exam as part of my ACA studies. In April I attended the ICAEW prize giving ceremony in London to celebrate.

There is lots of support available, when I started I was assigned a mentor and everyone is more than willing to help you settle in by answering questions around new processes and software etc. The managers have really taken on board feedback I’ve given since joining and are looking to affect changes as a result, which has made me feel valued.

I think you need to be hard working and have a great initiative, there are plenty of opportunities to progress in many different areas if you are driven enough to take them.

My advice would be to stop considering and actually apply, it’s often seen as a risk moving firms (I moved whilst still in my training contract) but I’m definitely glad I decided to take the risk.

Exciting, Challenging, Refreshing.

Ray Parlour, James Haskell and Jim Morrison.

Anywhere in South-East Asia, the Philippines, Borneo etc.

‘The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared’ by Jonas Jonasson.

Headlong by John Smith, he’s the best musician I’ve seen live and I think this album is his best.

Believe in yourself, if you don’t take a chance you will always ask ‘what if?’.

Headphones. I couldn’t get by without a cheap pair of headphones, I seem to lose them every week!

A coast path walk in the morning, watch some sport in the afternoon, followed by a BBQ and beers with friends.

That taking risks is the best way to move forward in life.

Playing and watching sport, listening to and playing music, hiking, camping and going out with friends.

I’ve been attempting to teach myself French for a few years now and never quite got into it so a second language would be up there.