Qualified Assistant
Graeme Oudney, Audit Department, Dundee office
Qualifications
BAcc. Hons
Part Qualified ACCA
Current role
I work as part of a team, auditing primarily Local Authorities and College Accounts. My role usually involves auditing our smaller jobs throughout the year and then it’s all hands on deck for the Local Authority year end audits!
Why I’m with Henderson Loggie
I think it’s fair to say that the people I work with play a big part in why I’m at Henderson Loggie. Whether it’s another trainee or a partner, it seems that everyone is willing to help you out or offer some guidance. The firm’s strong reputation in the market is also a big factor for me.
Never a dull day
The above statement is not strictly true! Of course, there are dull days in every job but that’s not necessarily to say that there isn’t much to do. We are kept pretty busy most of the year (sometimes it feels like there’s hardly time to draw breath!) and there is always something going on both in and out of the office. We have a number of events organised by our social committee throughout the year.
A genuine interest in our clients
Getting to work in the public sector has given me the opportunity to see how publicly funded bodies work; how they are funded, motivated etc. It’s interesting for me to see how our taxes are used, and the impact that different situations can have on our public services. I think that one of the main things that makes my job so appealing is that we get to consider much more than just the figures. We also look at areas like Best Value and Performance Indicators.
Becoming a trusted adviser to clients
Being a trainee and only having worked for a year, I’ve found that to be trusted by the client you have to know what you are talking about! Trust has to be earned, and although I’m not at the stage to advise our clients yet, it’s clear from our clients’ reaction to my superiors that there is a great deal of trust in their abilities. I hope that I too will soon be in this position.
Getting more responsibility
In my first few weeks out of University and working with Henderson Loggie, I was given a role with one of our biggest clients, and was also given the job of auditing a grant claim on my own at one of our university clients. What I like about the firm is that I get to learn a lot by getting out and doing things. Being given that kind of responsibility is daunting at first by it also instills self belief. I now find myself constantly looking for more responsibility in our department (crazy I know!) but my managers are responsive to this and give me opportunities to do so when they arise.
My ambitions
It’s fair to say that Henderson Loggie is a great place to be for an ambitious trainee. Although the firm is constantly growing, you never feel as though you are getting lost in the crowd. I’m made to feel an important part of the set up and not just another face. My initial ambition with Henderson Loggie is to complete my ACCA training and then to progress as far as I can within the firm.
A good day is when …
Saturday or Sunday!?... just kidding. A good day for me is when you have enough work to do that before you know it, its lunchtime! I really enjoy days when I get to interact a lot with our clients. Since I work with clients mainly in the public sector I get to go out and about quite a bit. These are the days I like the most. Oh, unless the client is hundreds of miles away…see below!
A bad day is when …
A bad day usually involves a lot of travel to a client (just to be clear, that’s the travelling…not the client!). Bad days are those when there might not be a lot to do and of course, being the trainee, you get the ‘essential jobs’ that have to get done but always seem to get put off by everyone. Setting up files is a particular pain for me. If I have to set up more than two… it’s a BAD day!
Advice for someone joining the firm
If you have talents or interests out with your work; let Henderson Loggie know. I’m an international athlete and the firm gives me special leave for travelling to races and training. They’re very supportive and not many firms would offer this kind of opportunity. You should make the most of joining Henderson Loggie, if you’re prepared to work hard and learn the firm has a huge amount to offer you.
