Are you a school or college leaver looking for an alternative to university?
Our school leaver apprenticeship programme gives you the opportunity to qualify and build a career in accountancy. We offer you broad experience and early responsibility in a friendly, supportive environment, giving you a chance to experience life and work at a leading accountancy firm.
At PKF, we understand that everyone is different and has their own career goals. That is why our people are at the heart of everything we do.
We will give you the tools and support needed to unlock your future and achieve your ambitions, whatever they may be. You will be part of small teams working closely with Partners, managers and clients and will benefit from on-the-job training and classroom-based study. This means real input from day one – and you will also be encouraged to develop both personally and professionally and supported as far as your ambition will take you!
As part of your training, we offer the opportunity to gain a professional qualification whilst earning a competitive salary, as well as gaining valuable business experience.
We offer two qualifications for school leavers. For those joining our Outsourcing and Accounts Preparation teams, you will study for the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Accounting qualification, followed typically by The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) professional qualification. Alternatively, our Tax Pathway is a route to membership of both the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CTA). Depending on which pathway you choose, qualification might take up to 5-6 years for school leavers.
Application process
Online application
Browse our opportunities to choose a location and opportunity that fits your career goals and complete your online application.
If successful in your HR telephone interview, you will be invited to take part in a final interview with the team you’ve applied to. If this goes well we will make you an offer to join our team!
We hope you can find all the information you need on our website, but to help below are a few of the questions we hear quite frequently when speaking to candidates. If you still have questions, speak to your recruiter or email recruitment@pkf-l.com.
How many roles do you recruit for each year and where?
Each year, we recruit around 80 trainees (graduate and school leavers) in our Audit, Tax and Outsourcing teams.
Can international students apply? What if I need visa sponsorship?
We currently do not offer Visa sponsorship to international students however this is something we are looking to review.
When is the best time to apply?
If you are looking to join as a graduate or school leaver, we open applications in September, with all roles for the following year. This ties in with the start of the professional qualification course start-dates.
We recommend you keep a regular eye on our careers page and follow our Linkedin, Instagram and Twitter pages to see our latest and upcoming vacancies to get your application in early.
Are there secondment opportunities or opportunities to work abroad?
As a member of the PKF International network, we offer our people the opportunity to experience international secondments in the offices of other member firms in places such as New York, California, Brisbane and Sydney. This will be available to you after you complete professional qualification.
I haven’t been successful? When can I next apply?
If you are unsuccessful you will need to re-apply the following year, when we re-launch our application season in September.
What are the minimum requirements for your programmes?
We ask for 5 GSCE’s, grade B and above (including Maths and English Language) and three A-levels (or equivalent) grade C and above (excluding General Studies).
Can i apply if I’m already on a training contract somewhere else?
Here at PKF, we deal with each application on a case by case basis. If you are newly qualified and want to discuss your options, please do get in touch.
