Advanced AAT Apprentice - Level 3

Buckinghamshire Council; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holiday package

50% Arriva bus travel

Employee benefits discounts

TOTEM Card

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Council in Aylesbury is offering an apprenticeship in the Income Team within Finance, combining work-based training with achieving a Level 3 AAT qualification. Time for study is provided, with no evenings or weekends required.

You will gain finance and systems experience while contributing to accurate processing, maintenance, and reconciliations across a centralised team. This is a full-time fixed-term role for the apprenticeship duration.

Qualifications

• Level 3 AAT apprenticeship or equivalent qualification.
• Eligible to study while employed with allocated study time.
• Strong IT and database skills and accuracy in admin tasks.
• GCSEs or equivalent at A*-C/9-4 level or above.
• No degree in the same subject as this apprenticeship.

Responsibilities

• Transactional processing across Finance Systems.
• System administration and maintenance of Finance systems.
• Banking and reconciliations responsibilities.
• Mailbox administration and query handling.
• Communicating with internal and external customers.

Skills

Organise own work

Administrative procedures

Good IT skills

Verbal AND written communication

Initiative and independence

Education

Level 3 AAT apprenticeship

Job description

We’re looking for an ambitious, energetic & attention-detailed person to join our Income Team within Finance. You’ll combine work-based training along with achieving a Level 3 Advanced qualification in AAT.

Working for one of the largest employers in the County, you will gain Finance, Systems and Communications skills as well as experience of working as part of a large finance function serving the residents of Buckinghamshire.

About us

Our apprenticeships are designed to give you the hands-on experience needed in a real job that brings out the best in you, with real responsibilities, real challenges, real projects and scope to grow your career.

The Income Team are responsible for ensuring that income received from our customers is correctly distributed across the organisation. We deal with large volumes of transactions daily, with a real emphasis on accuracy and efficiency across processing, maintenance, and reconciliations.

Being a centralised Team, we assist our colleagues across all the councils’ various directorates, meaning there is a lot of variety across the various types of work that we are involved in. This provides a great opportunity to build working relationships with a large variety of colleagues across the organisation.

About the role

In this role you’ll contribute to the work of the Income Team and study to achieve the Level 3 AAT apprenticeship throughout the duration of your time with us. We’ll give you time during your working week for study and assessments- which means no evening or weekend study is required!

You will work towards being able to undertake the range of duties listed below:

• Transactional processing across a variety of Finance Systems
• System administration & maintenance
• Banking & reconcilations
• Mailbox administration
• Communication with internal and external customers

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

Skills required:

• Able to organise own work and achieve deadlines
• Understanding of general administrative procedures
• Good IT skills and the ability to use databases
• Able to communicate well verbally and in writing
• Able to use initiative and work independently

Personal Qualities:

• Comfortable working as part of a team and playing an active role
• Able to get on well with a range of people
• Real ambition to develop your skills and experience
• Enthusiastic, dynamic and forward thinking
• Willingness to learn and to undertake a range of different tasks as required

Eligibility Criteria:

For Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship - Qualified to Level 1 or above in Literacy and Numeracy (GCSE grades A* - C/9-4 or equivalent), or Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship Qualification.

Please note: You will not be eligible for this post if you have a degree in the same subject as this apprenticeship, or other qualifications in the same subject at an equivalent level.

Other information

• Location: Aylesbury
  Advert closing date: Wednesday 19 August 2026

Duration of Apprenticeship:

Our apprenticeship roles are on a fixed term contract for the duration of the apprenticeship. Level 3 is usually for about 18 months.

• Your initial apprentice salary will be £15,392 p.a for your first year and will go up to National Minimum Wage if you are 19+ when you start the 2nd year of your apprenticeship. All your training will be funded by us. As well as the salary, our apprentices are eligible to:
• Paid holiday package
• Get 50% off of Arriva bus travel
• Receive a range of restaurant, shop & gym discounts through our Employee Benefits scheme.
• Apply for a TOTEM Card (formerly called the NUS Extra card)
• Reality Check:

This is a full-time position working a 37-hour week Monday to Friday.

Our apprenticeship roles are on a fixed term contract for the duration of the apprenticeship. Level 3 is usually for about 18 months.

The ability to converse with ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (Code of Practice: English language requirements for public sector workers 2016)

Some travel may be necessary, as we work across a variety of locations, and expenses will be provided for this.

We cannot guarantee a permanent position following completion of the apprenticeship; however this is a great opportunity to start a career in Finance. AAT is a well-recognised professional body and coupled alongside practical working experience within a large organisation this is a great entry opportunity for anyone with an interest in building a career within Finance.

We will help you develop the skills to become more employable, including communicating with stakeholders at all levels, shadowing other teams within Finance, conducting mock interviews and completing a personal development plan.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Resources cover a wide range of specialisms, including Human Resources, Finance, ICT and Business Operations. Our main focus is supporting the other directorates to provide the best possible service to our residents. To do that, we have to make sure we have the right people in the right roles across the organisation. From our finance teams, working strategically to ensure the best value from public money; to HR keeping our employees healthy and happy, each service is vital in making sure Buckinghamshire Council has what it needs to run effectively and efficiently.

As well as providing high quality services to other areas of the Council, you could also be helping us build on the revenue which comes from our external clients. If you are ambitious, customer-focussed and bursting with new ideas, we want to hear from you.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.