School Leaver Audit Trainee (ACA) - London / Film and TV - January 2026

Saffery Champness; London; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking enthusiastic A Level students to embark on a rewarding career as audit trainees. This role offers a structured pathway to becoming ACA qualified, with comprehensive support and training. You will gain invaluable experience working with high-profile clients in the film and television sector, ensuring a diverse and enriching learning environment. With a commitment to personal growth and professional development, this opportunity is perfect for those eager to make a mark in the accounting field. Join a friendly and progressive team that values individuality and fosters a culture of respect and collaboration.

Benefits

Annual leave allowance

Flexible working hours

Contributory pension plan

Life assurance cover

Working from home allowance

Profit-Sharing Plan

Paid overtime or time off in lieu

Health assessments and GP support

Critical illness cover

Generous referral bonuses

Qualifications

• Minimum of 120 UCAS points in A Levels or equivalent required.
• 6 (or B) in GCSE Maths and English Language or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Work on audit and accounts preparation assignments.
• Liaise directly with clients and handle audit testing.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Communication Skills

Teamwork

Problem-Solving

Education

A Levels (or equivalent)

GCSE Maths and English Language

Job description

School Leaver Audit Trainee (ACA) - London / Film and TV - January 2026

Right now, we’re looking for A Level (or equivalent) students wanting to start their career as a trainee in audit. We’ll support you in becoming fully qualified within a 4 to 4.5 year period.

We have two study pathways:

• AAT Level 3 (2 papers only) and AAT Level 4 followed by an ACA apprenticeship. Exemptions to the ACA will only apply once you’re AAT Level 4 qualified.
• ACA apprenticeship only

We want you to have the best possible journey with Saffery and help you to achieve a high level of success in the exams. We therefore have a dedicated Early Careers team who will consult with you throughout the recruitment process to explain and choose the best pathway for you.

Application windows:

We are live for applications until 13 April. Please note due to high popularity for these positions, applications may only have one application window, closing earlier than stated. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

We appreciate it is close to exam season, and so we will be trying our best to work around this to ensure you have the best chance of success.

About the team

Our clients include all of the major Hollywood studios, major streaming networks as well as many independent film and television production companies in the US and UK. We also work with many other entities ancillary to film and television production, such as film financiers, visual effects and post-production houses and other service providers. Finally, we work with a number of video games developers ranging from small independents to large multi-national studios.

Qualifying is not just about passing your exams; gaining valuable work experience is so important.

You'll work in a friendly and progressive environment on audit and accounts preparation assignments, with exposure to clients from different industries. We guarantee an exciting and varied learning experience.

We'll show you each part of a file review. You'll learn what information you need from a client and liaise directly with them. You may start with audit testing of simpler balances within financial statements, such as cash at bank and share capital, and then progress to income and expenditure testing.

By the end of your training contract, you’ll be comfortable handling whole files by yourself, preparing you for progression into a senior audit role.

You'll also receive excellent training and support for your studies. We use first-class tuition centres and organise our own off-site trainee programmes. You’ll get to meet and socialise with trainees across all offices.

What you'll need

• A minimum of 120 UCAS points in your A Levels (or equivalent), and
• A minimum of 6 (or B) in GCSE Maths and English Language (or equivalent).

About the qualification

We offer our ACA training contracts under a Level 7 apprenticeship. Studying as an apprentice won’t impact the time it takes you to complete the qualification, it just means that there's a defined study pathway in place to ensure you have the best chance to succeed.

Where potential meets personal meets you

You'll share our values by being collegiate and enthusiastic, whilst acting with integrity and striving for excellence. You'll be friendly and approachable with a mindset to be committed, take accountability, and go the extra mile to deliver our signature service.

When you work with Saffery, you’re never a number. You’re you. Because we want everyone’s individual personality and style to shine through. And we care more, and ego less. We get on and we get on. You'll thrive in your close-knit team, delivering high quality in everything you do.

There’s genuine mutual respect here. A rewarding, reciprocal relationship that means we all get the best out of each other.

We’ll help you to learn about our clients, but even better is if you already have an interest in the wider economic context that they operate in. Be inquisitive and always ask questions.

You’ll understand the level of commitment required during your AAT and/or ACA exams. It’s not easy, but we’ll be there to support you along your journey with us. You'll play a major part in our ongoing success.

What we’ll offer you

Because you do the best job you can for our clients and your colleagues, we do everything we can for you. We provide a mixture of core and flexible benefits, all designed to save you money and make your life a little easier.

Core benefits

• Annual leave allowance, which increases in line with length of service,
• A 35-hour working week with flexibility around our core hours of 10am-4pm,
• A contributory pension plan (we’ll contribute 5% of salary on a matched basis with you from the date you join),
• Life assurance cover based on 4 x annual salary,
• Working from home allowance of £25 a month,
• Our Profit-Sharing Plan, enabling you to share in the firm’s profits (usually c.£1,000), and
• Paid overtime or time off in lieu.
• Our agile working policy gives you the option to work from home for up to three days per week,
• Access to health assessments and GP support, cancer screenings, and our BUPA health cash plan,
• Critical illness cover, dental, and travel insurance,
• We’ve got a Techscheme, Cyclescheme and a Gymflex scheme,
• A Workplace ISA,
• Paid travel expenses when working at offices other than your contracted office, and
• Generous referral bonuses if you help bring in new clients or colleagues.

We’re also committed to being a fully inclusive employer and have a huge focus on equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I). When you start with us, you’ll have the opportunity to join a number of people network groups, as well as be a part of our growing ED&I network.

Who we are

Saffery is a partner-led and people-focused firm of chartered accountants, tax and business advisers. Since 1855, we’ve built long-term relationships with our diverse, high-profile clients, across varied and specialised sectors. As a proud member of Nexia, a worldwide network of trusted member firms, we’ve got access to local insight on a global scale.

We pride ourselves on our informal and inclusive culture, building an environment where people can be themselves and enjoy challenging, interesting, rewarding careers.

When you work with Saffery, the well-respected accountancy firm where heritage meets ambition, you work with people who know your name. Who know you as a human being, not just a job title. Everyone belongs here. Always.