Accounts Assistant
Accounts assistants are responsible for providing accounting and administrative support to the accountant or financial manager, or to other members of the accounts team.
The Role
  • As an accounts assistant, you'll overlook the money that comes into and goes out from a company
  • Making sure that customer and supplier accounts are accurate. This is also known as ‘reconciling’.
  • Receiving, processing and filing paperwork, e.g. invoices, expenses, requests for payment
  • Checking/verifying calculations to make sure they’re correct
  • Processing payments such as wages/salary of the company’s employees
  • Inputting information into a computer-based accounts system
  • Keeping track of figures by working with spreadsheets
  • Managing petty cash transactions
  • Working within a team with your responsibilities will vary depending on the size of the team you're working in
  • Working standard office hours, Monday to Friday, but there may be occasions when it is necessary to work late, particularly in more senior roles.
Salary
  • Newly trained accounts assistants can earn in the region of £17,000-£18,000
  • Trained with experience accounts assistants can earn in the region of £18,000-£25,000
  • Senior or chartered accountants can earn in the region of £60,000-£80,000
Salaries typically depend on location, employer and level of responsibility. Salaries and career options improve with chartered status.
Qualifications & Training
It is possible to become an accounts assistant without any formal qualifications beyond 5 grade 9 - 4 (A-C) GCSEs including English and Maths (or their equivalents, such as the Welsh Baccalaureate or Scottish Nationals). But most companies will require a basic understanding of accountancy and bookkeeping, including knowledge of accounts software. Many different courses and qualifications are available – these are just some of them:
  • Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Level 2 Certificate in Book Keeping
  • International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB) Levels 2 and 3 Certificates in Bookkeeping
  • Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) Level 2 in Manual or Computerised Bookkeeping
  • OCR Level 1 Certificate in Bookkeeping
  • City & Guilds (8953) Levels 1 and 2 Certificates in Bookkeeping and Accounts