Trainee accountant apprenticeship 2027 at Old Mill · Exeter

Start your 2027 career in accountancy with Old Mill, a workplace where you’ll be supported from day one.

Thinking about what comes after school or college? If you're curious about how businesses work, enjoy solving problems, working with people and want a career where you can keep learning, our trainee accountant apprenticeship could be the perfect place to start.

At Old Mill, you'll learn by doing. You'll work with real clients, alongside experienced accountants and advisers, while studying for your AAT qualification through an apprenticeship. You'll earn a salary, gain valuable experience and work towards a recognised professional qualification at the same time.

We're not looking for perfect – we're looking for people with potential, curiosity and the attitude to make the most of the opportunities in front of them.

What will you actually do?

Right from the start, you'll be part of a team doing real work for real clients. Depending on the team, this could include:

• Helping to prepare accounts and tax returns
• Bookkeeping and working with financial information
• Using technology and data to solve problems
• Getting to know our clients and understanding their businesses
• Supporting experienced colleagues with a variety of client work
• Developing a knowledge of accountancy, tax and business
• Helping clients make sense of information and make informed decisions

No two days will necessarily look the same. You'll work with different businesses, meet different people and come across new challenges as you develop. As you grow in confidence, we'll give you more responsibility. Always with colleagues nearby to help.

Our trainees are the future of Old Mill. That's why we invest in their development rather than expecting people to have everything figured out before they start.

What are we looking for?

We're looking for people who are:

• Curious and willing to ask questions
• Good at spotting when something doesn't quite add up
• Interested in how businesses work
• Organised and able to manage their time
• Comfortable working with numbers and information
• Keen to learn and develop
• Good at solving problems and finding practical solutions
• Good with people and able to communicate clearly
• Open-minded and willing to listen to other people's ideas
• Willing to have a go, even when you're trying something for the first time

You don't need any accountancy experience at all. You don't need to be a maths expert. And you don't need to know exactly which area of accountancy you want to specialise in yet.

We're interested in how you think, how you work with others and how you approach something you don't already know.

If you're leaving school or college and want to build a career while continuing to study, we'd love to hear from you.

Your AAT apprenticeship

You will study towards the AAT qualification by attending college alongside the role at Old Mill.

Your studies will give you the technical knowledge, while your time with us will allow you to put that knowledge into practice. You'll learn from experienced colleagues, work with real clients and gradually build the skills and confidence you'll need for a long-term career in accountancy.

And accountancy isn't just about numbers...

It's about understanding businesses, solving problems, building relationships and helping people make decisions. You'll develop skills that can take you in lots of different directions throughout your career.

Old Mill and Kinbrook

Old Mill is part of Kinbrook, a growing UK-wide professional services group. We're still very much Old Mill, with our own name, leadership, culture and way of doing things, but being part of a wider group gives us access to additional expertise, resources and opportunities.

For you, that means you can build your career in a supportive regional business while having the opportunities and connections that come from being part of something bigger.

Please keep your application human

We use AI at Old Mill, and recognise the value that it can bring. There are some parts of our recruitment process where we’re happy for you to use it, and some where we need to hear directly from you.

So please don't use AI to:

• Write your CV, cover letter, or application • Complete any pre-interview testing or assessment

We want these parts of the process to reflect your own experience, thinking and personality. Your application doesn't need to sound like a corporate brochure. In fact, we'd much rather it didn't.

But if you wish, please feel free to use AI to:

• Help you research Old Mill, accountancy or apprenticeship schemes • Help you prepare for an interview • Check your spelling, grammar or clarity • Support you if you use AI or other assistive technology to help with written communication

The important thing is that your experiences, ideas and answers are your own. We’re not expecting everyone to communicate in exactly the same way, and we want our recruitment process to be accessible and fair.

So use the tools that help you prepare and communicate at your best. Just make sure that when we’re assessing you, we’re hearing from you.

Ready to start your career?

If you're curious, ready to learn and want to build a career where you'll work with people, solve problems and keep developing, we'd love to hear from you.

You don't need to have your whole career mapped out. You just need to be ready to take the first step.