Having studied Accounting with Finance at the University of Portsmouth, Samuel had the opportunity in 2016 to complete a placement year with the Thinking Schools Academy Trust in our Medway office.
The placement helped him put his learning into practice by understanding the basics of finance in a real-world environment.
Reflecting on his journey, Samuel said: “It worked out well because I’m from Medway and the Thinking Schools Academy Trust had two placements based there and one in Portsmouth.”
“Luckily, I got the job in Medway and that was my first real job in finance. Back then we were a trust of six or seven schools where it’s now 26, so I have seen the trust grow considerably in this time”, he added.
Samuel went back to Portsmouth where he worked in the trust offices on a part-time basis.
When he graduated in 2018, he reached out to the Head of Finance who helped him secure the position of Finance Officer.
After supporting schools within the trust for a year, Samuel was given the opportunity to work on external projects by supporting others trusts who may be struggling financially.
His Level 4 Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification has helped him progress into his current role of Finance Manager for Thinking Solutions for Education.
Samuel highlighted the Thinking Schools Academy Trust as ‘an enjoyable place to work’ where people are ‘always friendly and willing to help’.
With the Thinking Schools Academy Trust always keen to support the next generation of graduates in their career journey, Samuel spoke about the importance of having real-world experience alongside your degree.
Giving his advice he said: “Definitely take the opportunity because having that experience helps you. Although you’ve got a degree, without experience it’s quite hard to secure a job once you have graduated”.
Samuel also reflected on transferring from the Thinking Schools Academy Trust to Thinking Solutions for Education and how he ‘jumped at the chance’ to work with others outside the trust.
“If there’s a chance to work externally, I would definitely recommend taking that opportunity because the skills you learn and experience you gain from it, you may not have been able to gain in your normal role”, he said.
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