Junior Accountant - grow your career in a modern, supportive, independent firm
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Junior Accountant – Exciting Career Opportunity
Looking to grow your career in accountancy with a modern, expanding firm?
Reed Practice is working with a highly regarded independent practice that genuinely values its people. With strong growth driven by exceptional client service, they’re now looking for a motivated Trainee Accountant to join their team—offering a clear path towards a Client Manager role.
This is a fantastic opportunity to build your career from the ground up. You’ll gain hands-on experience, develop strong client relationships, and grow into a trusted advisor in a supportive, forward-thinking environment.
The Role
Based in their Ipswich Head Office, you’ll receive full support and structured training, working alongside experienced professionals to build your skills. Responsibilities include:
- Preparing year-end accounts
- Assisting with corporation tax and self-assessment
- Bookkeeping and VAT returns
- Preparing working papers and schedules
- Liaising with clients
- Supporting Account Managers
- Using cloud software such as Xero
What You’ll Get
- £30,000 starting salary
- Full training and ongoing development
- Study support (AAT / ACCA / ACA)
- Flexible working (post-training)
- Free parking
About You
Essential:
- Experience in an accountancy practice
- AAT qualified or studying
- Strong bookkeeping knowledge
- Experience with accounts and/or tax
- High attention to detail
- Strong communication and organisation skills
- Positive, proactive attitude
Desirable:
- Experience with Xero
- Exposure to limited company accounts and tax
- Client-facing experience
- Ambition to study ACCA or ACA
If you’re ambitious, keen to learn, and looking for a long-term career move with real progression, apply now or contact Natalie Harden at Reed to find out more.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your AAT qualification or study status prominently in your Personal Statement, as the advert lists it under 'Essential' requirements.
📊 Quantify your bookkeeping experience: e.g. 'Maintained ledgers for 15 SME clients, processing 200+ transactions monthly using Xero.'
🎯 Mention Xero by name in your skills section — the advert lists it as both a core tool and a desirable differentiator, so direct experience will stand out.
🌐 Reference any client-facing experience explicitly, even if brief, as the role targets a clear path to Client Manager and the advert flags client liaison as a key responsibility.
📋 Tailor your CV to show progression intent: note any ACCA or ACA study plans, as the advert specifically rewards ambition to pursue these qualifications.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Prepared year-end accounts and corporation tax computations for 12 SME clients using Xero, reducing review queries by 25% through improved working paper documentation.
- •Completed quarterly VAT returns for 8 limited company clients under MTD compliance, achieving 100% on-time submission record across a 12-month period.
- •Supported senior accountants with self-assessment returns for 20+ individuals during peak January filing season, processing all submissions ahead of the 31 January deadline.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Reed. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Reed
Dear Hiring Manager,
The Junior Accountant position at the independent Ipswich practice advertised through Reed aligns precisely with where I want to take my accountancy career. Having developed hands-on experience in bookkeeping, VAT returns, and year-end accounts preparation — and currently progressing through my AAT studies — I am keen to build on this foundation within a firm that offers structured training and a clear route to Client Manager.
My background in accountancy practice has given me exposure to cloud-based tools including Xero, client liaison, and the preparation of working papers and corporation tax schedules. I have consistently managed multiple client files to tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy and a high standard of documentation.
Free signup, no card needed. Export to PDF/Word requires a £1.99 trial (14 days).
Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk me through how you would prepare a set of year-end accounts for a small limited company.
- ›How do you reconcile a VAT return and what common errors do you look out for?
- ›Describe your experience using Xero — which features have you used most regularly?
- ›What is the difference between corporation tax and self-assessment, and who does each apply to?
- ›How do you ensure working papers are accurate and audit-ready before submission?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple client deadlines simultaneously — how did you prioritise?
- ›Describe a situation where you identified an error in financial data. What did you do?
- ›Give an example of when you had to explain a financial concept to a non-finance client. How did you approach it?
- ›Tell me about a time you took initiative to improve a process or workflow in your previous role.
- ›Describe how you have managed your professional study alongside full-time work responsibilities.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple client deadlines simultaneously — how did you prioritise?
Describe a situation where you identified an error in financial data. What did you do?
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