You have questions. We have answers
We understand that applying for a summer internship, placement or training contract (and going through the different application stages) can be daunting. It’s often a new experience, an unknown. But preparation really helps. The more you know about what to expect, the more you can just be you.
To help, we’ve pulled together the questions we get asked a lot.
What are your entry requirements?
Typically, you’ll need at least 120 UCAS points in your top 3 A Levels (or equivalent). It’s worth noting that we don’t accept General Studies or AS Levels. In addition, you’ll need to have achieved a minimum B (or 6) in Maths and English Language at GCSE (or equivalent).
If you’re applying for a summer internship, placement or graduate role, you’ll need to be on track to achieve a 2:1 degree.
If you have extenuating circumstances that impacted on your academic achievements, please reach out to us as [email protected].
I want to work in audit or accounts. What’s the best route for me?
School Leavers
If you’re looking to become a Chartered Accountant, you will study towards the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) before moving on to complete the ACA (ICAEW – Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales), CA (ICAS – Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland) or ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), across four to five years.
Graduates
There’s a range of qualifications on offer, including ACA (ICAEW – Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales), CA (ICAS – Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) which take around three years to complete for those looking to become a Chartered Accountant.
I want to work in tax. What’s my route?
School Leavers
If you’re leaning towards tax, it’s ATT (Association of Taxation Technicians) and CTA (Chartered Institute of Taxation). This will typically take you three and a half to four years to complete.
Graduates
If you want to focus on tax, you can study towards the ACA/CTA Joint Progamme or ATT/CTA Tax Pathway, depending on the exact role. This will typically take around 3 years to complete.
I’m interested in Payroll. What qualifications do you offer?
If Payroll is of interest, we offer a very small number of roles to study towards the Level 3 or 5 Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals.
How do I apply?
Through our careers page where you’ll find all our live jobs. Click the job you’re interested in and then complete our online application form to commence the process. You can find out more about our full application and assessment process here.
How can I use GenAI tools in my application?
We understand that GenAI tools are becoming increasingly common, and we appreciate why people use them. However, for our application process, we ask that you do not use them for the online assessments (G+ test), during live Microsoft Teams interviews with our Early Careers team, or at the in-person Interview Day.
You’re welcome to use GenAI tools to support your research, but we’d love your application to reflect your authentic voice, personal journey, achievements and motivations.
Online application completed. What happens next?
You’ll move on to the next stage: online assessments. These assessments consist of inductive, deductive and numerical reasoning questions designed to measure your problem solving abilities. If you’re successful, you’ll move through to complete an additional online assessment which evaluates competencies. We’ll share more detail on the online assessments and how to prepare throughout our process.
After that (if successful), you’ll move onto a first stage interview with a member of our Early Careers team. If you’re successful, you’ll then move forward to an in-person Interview Day where you’ll get to meet the team.
What’s involved in the interview?
This is our time to get to know each other better – and to make sure that you’re right for the role and we’re right for you. Just as we’re getting to know you, it’s equally important that you feel a sense of belonging and alignment with us.
So, we want to hear all about you. How you see your role here and what you want from your future. Share some of your experiences with us, things like work placements, part-time jobs, and extra-curricular activities.
Tell us about your current skill set, give us practical examples of where you’ve applied them – and what you achieved. We’re big on potential here and we really want to see yours.
Remember to do your research on us, on the role and on the qualification you’re going to study for. If you’re applying to a summer internship or placement role, we have huge success in our interns and placement students returning to the firm as part of our trainee scheme, so we’d love to see that you’ve researched into this in advance.
There’s a lot more advice on our hints and tips page. To help you prepare and feel confident, you’ll receive an interview preparation guide at this stage.
When is the closing date for applications?
Short answer: it depends on the specific role you’re applying for. But in general, our roles for summer internships and placements go live in August and school leaver and graduate roles go live in September. This is for positions starting the following summer for summer internships and placement roles and September and January for school leavers and graduates. We’d recommend applying early as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment.
Do I need to have studied a relevant A-Levels or specific degree, like accountancy, maths or business studies?
Your A-Levels and degree (if you’re applying for a trainee role) can be in any discipline. If accountancy or tax is your choice of career, and you meet our minimum requirements, please apply.
I completed my A-Levels/graduated a few years ago. Can I still apply?
Absolutely, yes.
I completed an ICAEW accredited degree. Would I have exemptions from some of the modules if I chose this as my study route?
Unless you’re AAT Level 4 qualified, no. All trainees will need to complete all modules.
Do you offer sponsorship visas for international students?
Not at the moment, no. You need to have the full right to live and work in the UK to apply to us.
How many trainees do you recruit each year?
On average, we take in around 120 trainees across our UK and Dublin offices every year.
How many summer interns and placements do you recruit each year?
On average, we take 30 summer interns and placement students across our UK and Dublin offices.
What is involved in the summer internship and placement roles?
Our internship scheme runs for a minimum of six weeks every summer. Whereas our placement roles run for a minimum of 12 months. You’ll get an on-the-ground feel for working life at Saffery whilst gaining vital work experience. As well as our people, we’ll introduce you to the basic principles of accounting and tax.
I’m interested in more than one role. How many roles can I apply to?
You can apply to just one of our programmes during each recruitment season. If your application isn’t successful this time, we’d love for you to try again when applications re-open next September for the following year.
I require reasonable adjustments. What should I do?
If you require any reasonable adjustments, please let us know by including the details in the relevant section on the application form. We’re committed to assessing all applicants fairly and want to do everything we can to support your success throughout the process. If you’d like to discuss this with us further, reach out to us at [email protected].
Do you cover costs once I’ve joined?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We cover travel expenses for your in-person Interview Day, alongside costs associated to your studies, i.e. exam and revision course costs and travel to your test centres. We’ll share more information once you’ve joined!