My AAT apprenticeship journey with Isabel Godfrey
Isabel Godfrey is an Outsourcing Associate at Wenn Townsend, and is about to start her Level 3 AAT apprenticeship, having just finished her Level 2 exams with us. Isabel didn’t […]
Isabel Godfrey is an Outsourcing Associate at Wenn Townsend, and is about to start her Level 3 AAT apprenticeship, having just finished her Level 2 exams with us.
Isabel didn’t have a clear career path once she’d left school, so took on an admin job at Wenn Townsend once she’d finished her A-Levels to get some office experience. She enjoyed the work, and following some time away travelling, she was welcomed back to the team, and started to consider progression within the firm.
After obtaining an admin qualification, Isabel was encouraged to consider the accountancy route, and having heard great things about Reed Business School from her colleagues who also study with us, she was pleased to start her Level 2 AAT apprenticeship.
“I chose AAT because I didn’t have much relevant experience, I and wanted to start at the bottom to learn everything properly. It feels like a really good stepping stone along a pathway that’s becoming much clearer now.”
Isabel’s learning has mostly been online so far, with regular workshops and revision sessions to help her prepare for her exams. While she initially struggled a little to get to grips with the workload and study pattern, she’s now found her groove, and can’t wait to get stuck into her Level 3 classes at the Business School.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that planning ahead really helps. I plan my time much better now, especially in the run-up to exams, and feel much more in control of my work-life balance.”
Isabel has been really impressed with the quantity and variety of resources available to her to support her learning, and is a big fan of the blended learning methods Reed Business School provides.
“The workshops are fantastic for being able to discuss areas I’m struggling with and to identify what I need to work on. We also get given practice papers which get individually marked with feedback, while the flexibility of being able to access online resources when I need them is really useful.”
Starting a new role within the accounts function a few months ago has really helped Isabel’s learning, and vice versa. Her work involves managing payroll journals, reconciliations and invoicing, and while it can be quite repetitive, Isabel now has a much better understanding of what it all means and why it’s important.
“I used to process the invoices just because that’s what I had to do, but now I understand what the invoices are, how they are constructed, and how to interpret all the information on them.”
As Isabel is still in the relatively early stages of her career, she’s unsure what path she’ll choose after completing her Level 3 qualification. She’s open to continuing with AAT or switching to ACA like some of her colleagues, but whatever she does, we’re sure she’ll do really well!
and finally a word from Isabel’s manager
“We choose Reed Business School as our preferred training provider due to the school consistently achieving pass rates higher than the national average and the excellent support the RBS team provide to the students. Our students completing their studies on the apprenticeship scheme at Reed also benefit from the support of an RBS learning coach and as a result our students are consistently qualifying as Chartered Accountants at Reed Business School. “
Jane Bull, FCA, Director of Accounting, Wenn Townsend
