A day in the life of a Trainee Accountant

Working as a Trainee Accountant at RSM

As a trainee accountant at RSM, you are exposed to many different opportunities. These come in the form of being part of the audit for various industries, from retail, to manufacturing, to investment entities - the list goes on! You will have the opportunity to work with all kinds of people, from the sweetest humans, to the difficult ones who might actually be robots but no-one is really sure, and so you will have the opportunity to develop your own people skills and emotional intelligence.

The day begins in one of two ways, either you and your team will have travelled together to one of the many locations in which our clients are based, or you will have walked into the RSM office, found yourself a seat at one of our hot desks near where the rest of your team has set up, and prepared yourself for the day ahead.

Everyday brings new encounters – new sections you have never audited before, or one you might have done 10 times but with fresh, new challenges for you to break down and learn from. You are not alone in this journey, your seniors or peers will be nearby to assist you, or perhaps my colleague Kim (Senior Manager: Audit Technical Training), or myself, will have come out to assist you. At the very least, any one of us is just a Teams message away.

Your day will be full of good coffee, interesting learning experiences and growing and developing working relationships with your fellow trainee accountants, managers, directors and individuals at the client. Whether you are sitting around a boardroom table with your team, or at an open plan desk beside your work bestie, there will be plenty of opportunities for a laugh.

Some of my best memories from my articles have been in boardrooms with a looming deadline where stresses are high, but my team and I take a minute to have a bit of fun and remind each other that we have overcome all sorts of challenges before, this is just another one for the scoreboard.

Part of RSM’s culture is how we bond and show support. There is distinct comradery in every boardroom, even when the manager and director are sitting there with you, it is through that we are able to complete the work and to grow as professionals and individuals.

No matter where you go, your training contract will be hard work, but it is a universal truth that it is what you make of it including how much you learn and how much fun you have.

Jordan van der Merwe

Supervisor: Audit Technical Training, Johannesburg