Audit trainee - AAT and ACA - School & College Leavers - August 2026

PKF FRANCIS CLARK; Cotswold District; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading accountancy firm in the Cotswold District is looking for bright and motivated school and college leavers to join its trainee auditor program. This program provides a clear path to becoming a Chartered Accountant while working towards your AAT and ACA qualifications. Candidates must achieve 112 UCAS points and possess GCSE Maths and English at grade 6 or above. The firm offers structured development, early responsibility, and numerous workplace benefits including a health cash plan and pension.

Benefits

Pension

Group life assurance

Health cash plan

Extra holiday options

Counselling support

Cycle to work

Shop and gym discounts

Volunteering day

Qualifications

• Minimum of 112 UCAS points (obtained from three A Levels or equivalent excluding general studies and EPQ).
• GCSE Maths and English at grade 6 (B) or above.
• Willingness to travel to client sites and other offices as required.
• Available to start August 2026.

Responsibilities

• Help businesses understand their financial position and manage risk.
• Work with diverse clients, including commercial businesses and charities.
• Develop technical and interpersonal skills in project teams.
• Identify issues and use analytics tools to interpret data.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication

Team collaboration

Problem-solving

Education

112 UCAS points from three A Levels or equivalent

GCSE Maths and English at grade 6 or above

Job description

Fast‑track Programme

Join our fast‑track programme designed for ambitious school and college leavers who want to qualify as a Charted Accountant. You'll start by working towards your AAT qualification, then progress quickly to ACA, all while gaining valuable hands‑on audit experience. We're proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work for the third year running, making this an excellent place to launch your audit career.

What you will be doing

As a trainee auditor, you'll play a key role in helping businesses understand their financial position and manage risk. You'll work with a diverse portfolio of clients, including commercial businesses, from owner‑managed to listed entities, charities, educational establishments, and professional firms.

• Develop technical, commercial and interpersonal skills
• Work in small project teams (typically 2‑5 people) on audits lasting 1‑3 weeks for medium‑sized and large businesses
• Identify key issues and risks, using analytics tools and software to interpret data, draw conclusions, and make recommendations
• Gain experience in preparing annual statutory accounts and tax calculations, and assessing forecasts and projections

Studying alongside working is demanding. As an AAT/ACA trainee, you will need to dedicate time outside working hours for study and exam preparation.

Development Support

We'll provide full support for your professional qualification and help you develop the skills and behaviours needed to succeed as an accountant. Before you start, you'll be assigned a buddy, and once you join, your line manager and student counsellor will help you stay on track with your professional qualification and career goals.

• Taking initiative and achieving goals
• Communicating effectively, both verbally and in writing
• Building strong relationships and working collaboratively
• Working with numbers and solving problems
• Being analytical and methodical in your approach

Bright, motivated school and college leavers ready to build a meaningful career in accountancy. This programme offers structured development, early responsibility, and long‑term progression.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 112 UCAS points (obtained from three A Levels or equivalent excluding general studies and EPQ)
• GCSE Maths and English at grade 6 (B) or above
• Willingness to travel to client sites and other offices as required
• Available to start August 2026

Workplace and Benefits

• Pension
• Group life assurance – up to four times your core salary
• Group income protection
• Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare
• Option to buy 5 extra days holiday
• Counselling and support for you and your immediate family
• Virtual GP for you and your immediate family
• Cycle to work
• Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts
• Gifts for career and family milestones
• One volunteering day per year to support local organisationsEmergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation

About PKF Francis Clark

As the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in South West England, PKF Francis Clark offers a breadth of opportunities to develop your career in the way that's right for you. Established in 1919, we've grown to a team of nearly 1,000 people, based across our offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro.

This means we're big enough to do challenging work for exciting clients, but small enough to maintain our friendly and supportive culture. We work hard to ensure you can belong, be yourself and be brilliant as part of a forward‑thinking team.

Our focus on wellbeing and learning and development has been recognised nationally. For the past three years, PKF Francis Clark has been certified as a Great Place to Work and ranked among the UK's Best Workplaces. In 2025, we climbed four places to 20 out of 100 large organisations on this prestigious list. We're also in the UK's top 10 Best Workplaces for Women (6 out of 100 large organisations), as well as being ranked among the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing (35 out of 100), Best Workplaces for Development (24 out of 100) and Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services.

Being part of this international network provides opportunities to connect with like‑minded accountants and business advisers in 150 countries. PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of firms – together we're the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK.