Autumn 2026 Audit & Accounts Trainee (School leaver) in Leicester

Rowleys is an independent accountancy firm working across the East Midlands, with our office based in Leicester, near Junction 21 of the M1. We are a forward-thinking firm who are continually investing in our people and their development. We are looking for like-minded individuals to join our team and be a part of our future growth.

We are looking to recruit a school leaver in our Audit & Accounts department who wants to learn and develop into a qualified accountant. Our trainees are supported with their studies, using a highly respected training provider and we support people with time off for study through a block release programme. We genuinely understand the balance that is needed for trainees who need to learn on the job but also have the space to get through their professional studies successfully.

The attraction with a career at Rowleys is that the work in our Audit and Accounts team is varied. We are seeing growth across all parts of our business, and this offers the opportunity for our trainees to learn and later on gives them the opportunity to specialise if they wish to. Throughout the training contract you will learn the bedrock of accounts preparation, gain a good understanding of audit risk and experience how to prepare business tax computations. This ensures that people in our team have a rounded knowledge of all elements of accounting and tax.

You can expect to be part of a team of around 30 in the Audit and Accounts department, working closely with your peers and reporting in to client managers who have a portfolio of audit and accounts clients. We operate a hybrid working model, so as a trainee you will split your time between working from home, visiting the office, client sites when required or studying for your professional exams.

We are looking for candidates with a strong desire to learn and progress, and we give increasing responsibility when an individual is ready, rather than at pre-determined times through a fixed matrix. As an independent firm based in one location means we can be flexible in our approach.

Our broad expectation of roles and responsibilities over the five year training contract is set out below. We expect School Leavers will study AAT for two years before moving on to the ACA qualification.

• Involvement in audit and independent examination assignments of companies and also specialist assignments such as charities and pension schemes.
• Preparation of accounts for limited companies, sole traders and partnerships.
• Experience of preparing VAT returns on a quarterly basis.
• Training on business tax and eventually leading on to preparing tax computations.
• Working closely with other team members and on occasion on your own, with support where required.
• Experience of client meetings and telephone calls, giving you the ability to learn how to communicate effectively to get the work done.
• Delivering an excellent level of customer service, managing and exceeding client expectations, responding to all ad-hoc queries in a timely manner.
• Studying for their professional qualifications.

In order to develop into a successful advisor there are also many other personal traits that are important. At this stage in your career these are the key areas we will be exploring through our assessment process. Our key values of our business are:

• INTEGRITY Upholding moral and ethical principles.
• DIVERSITY Valuing and respecting differences among individuals, encouraging different ideas and innovative thinking.
• EXCELLENCE Striving for the highest quality and performance.
• AGILITY Being flexible, collaborating effectively to deliver a great service.
• LEADERSHIP Guiding and inspiring others through a positive mindset.

Rowleys has spent a significant amount of time over the years listening to our employees and trying to give an overall package that sets us out from other firms. Our ultimate priority is to employ personable individuals with a passion for excellent service, whilst ensuring work life balance and wellbeing is embedded in our culture.

As we focus more on the personal skills of individuals at this stage in their careers we do not have any academic entry criteria for this programme. We would encourage any School Leaver who has completed or is just about to complete their A-Levels to apply who feels they have the drive, can make a difference at Rowleys and have the ability to get through the professional exams.

If you wish to apply for a position please email our practice manager who leads our recruitment process, Natalie Adcock (natalie@rowleys.uk) and ask for an application form. We will then ask you to complete this as soon as possible and submit back to us. We do not expect you to prepare a separate CV as all of your details will be included in the application form.

Need help or advice? We’re here to help you bloom. If you have any questions about accounts, audit, tax or even your Will we’re here to help. No obligations, just a friendly chat to help you find the best way to help you get to where you want to be.