Faisal, Senior Accountant
London Borough of Haringey

I first joined the London Borough of Haringey on a graduate training scheme in September 2003. The scheme consisted of various placements across the finance department, ranging from internal audit, to accounts payable, corporate procurement, corporate finance and service units. I have successfully completed all my Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) examinations during this time. As I was approaching my finals in June, I applied for and was successfully appointed to the role of senior accountant within corporate finance and am now a lead officer in various projects.

The graduate scheme itself is second to none, with excellent opportunities to learn new skills, gain new experiences and network with a wide range of people. I have really strengthened my interpersonal skills and broadened my knowledge of local government finance.

When I first started my role as senior accountant the work was so overwhelming compared to what I had done before. It was a culture shock, but I have adapted well. My main responsibilities are to keep abreast of any changing/new legislation that would have financial impact on the council. I am a lead officer on a couple of projects, to which I need to dedicate a lot of my time. Projects can go on for weeks, so time and task management are crucial to my job.

To become an accountant, you would need to be numerate and preferably supported by a professional qualification such as CIPFA. However, more specific to my role, strong communication and organisational skills are essential.

Since starting work with the council I have been fortunate enough to attend various graduate workshops, including project management, presentations skills, time management and equal opportunities. These courses were excellent and a must for any graduate trainee entering local government. The council’s persistence in training graduates is a major attraction for prolonging my career here in Haringey. They are always keen to develop their staff.

My future plans are to settle into this role and become an expert in what I do. The next step would be to become a finance manager and ultimately, it is my ambition to become one of the youngest finance directors in London. I also intend on taking a year break from work at some stage in the future to pursue my MBA.