My main objective for my work placement was to learn how to use a variety of software. I think that I was able to accomplish this, although because of the early departure I missed out on a few opportunities. My duties were varied which allowed me to learn a variety of things and use a range of programs.

My supervisors were very helpful and showed me how to use the software to complete tasks. I was also shown many other things, like the backend of websites and how e-commerce is done. I learned how to do many accounting related tasks and tasks that are not related to accounting but are very useful.

I feel that my academic background prepared me somewhat adequately, but classes can’t prepare you for everything. My assignments were valuable to me as they helped me learn many different things about accounting, and completing these assignments were valuable to my supervisors as it helped complete tasks that needed to be done for clients. This experience has helped give me direction with what I want to do professionally and what kind of environment I would like to work in. Personally, I have been able to learn how to appreciate things, like how to enjoy a longer commute than I am used to, and what kind of work relationships I would like.

During the application process, the information that I received was enough to make me feel ready for my arrival. Having to set goals at the start of the semester was very useful and reviewing them allowed me to reflect on what I have accomplished and what was left that I still wanted to accomplish. The level of contact from staff was enough, I think that a minimal role for staff is sufficient. I hope that future students are able to have this experience.

My major duties are as follows:

1. Year-end reports
2. Processing payments
3. Reconciling accounts

Two things I would keep about the work environment are how close it is and how personal I got to know my supervisors. Another thing that was great about the work environment was how laid back it was, work was not stressful and my supervisors were super understanding. Although I would not change anything, two things that I missed out on in the work environment were the big company feel and the ability to network with lots of people.

I thought that my supervisor’s management style worked well for me. First, that would show me how to do the task. Then I would complete the task, asking questions if I needed help. It allowed me to work independently while still receiving supervision. In the future, if I become a supervisor, I would like to use this management style.

During this work placement, I learned about myself I enjoy working in a small office and that I typically enjoyed my commute and would be willing to commute to work in a large city. For my next job, I would like to become a better networker and make connections that will help me in the future.

I have learned how to reconcile bank accounts and things about the corporate tax system in the UK. I also improved my balance sheet knowledge and how to create one.

After college, I would love to work for a company similar to this, or even start a similar company with a business partner.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have gained a variety of skills, both hard and soft. I believe that I will be able to transfer these skills to the classroom and outside of class when looking for a job. Over the course of my internship, I have gained valuable experience that I would not have got from taking classes back at Central. Many accounting jobs require you to be familiar with a variety of software, mainly Quickbooks and excel. I have used both of these extensively in my daily tasks. And I have used many other programs such as Autoentry, Xerox, and Taxfiler. I believe that this will give me an advantage when applying to jobs after graduation because many students do not have the chance to use these in the classroom. I truly believe that this semester has been very beneficial in my studies and furthered my knowledge.

Along with these skills, I have gained a few soft skills during my time here in London. The first is being able to relay information to clients in a way that they can digest. This is important because most people do not enjoy accounting and will not understand the terms used, so it is necessary to be able to communicate with them in a variety of ways. Another soft skill I have acquired while in London is understanding different cultures. While I have experienced this while at my internship, I have also experienced this just in London while wandering around, the pace of work is very different for many cultures. It seems that in the US people are heavily career-focused while here and other places there is a better work-life balance and more socializing during the workday.

I believe that this experience will set me apart from other candidates for jobs in the future and help me excel in my studies and education.

During the last few weeks of my internship, I feel that I have made progress that has kept me on track to achieve my goals by the end of the semester. While I still have lots to learn about the multiple software, I feel comfortable working through issues on my own and can work pretty independently. As time has passed I have become significantly more comfortable and confident in my role and traveling by myself has given me more confidence to travel all over London. An unexpected skill I have gained is being more confident in asking questions and admitting I do not know the answer, and I have learned about new foods during lunch. This opportunity has given me more direction in what career field I would like to pursue in the future, I have learned I enjoy doing daily bookkeeping and doing more long-term projects, such as creating budgets and analyzing reports. To make the most of my remaining time I need to continue to ask questions and work on new projects. My time at my internship has gone quickly and it is hard to believe it is almost over.

During the past week, most of my tasks have included creating forecasts and assumptions to create a budget for one of their clients. This has included creating a cost sheet for their various products and creating estimates for their sales. So far this has been my favorite task because it has included taking multiple class topics to create one large project. The next part of this project is seeing if their sales cover the costs of running their business. I foresee this project continuing into next week.

Another thing I have been working on this week is doing various bookkeeping tasks for clients. This has included entering invoices and receipts, reconciling bank accounts, and working on corporation tax returns. The largest part of this has been gathering various reports and making sure the various accounts are correct. Some times these tasks are relaxing because they are monotonous and allow me to listen to music. But other times they are difficult because the clients have not uploaded all the needed information.

One thing I have noticed is that my supervisors will talk about salaries and money very openly with me. This is different from the US where most places actively discourage talking about pay. Another thing I have noticed is that the pace of work is more relaxed and I am constantly talking with my supervisors about various things.

My host organization’s goals are to provide a variety of accounting and management services to small and medium-sized businesses that operate locally and internationally. These services include bookkeeping, tax filing, payroll, budgeting, and a variety of other services. They carry out this goal by getting to know clients on a personal level since the firm is small and there is no formal chain of command they are able to connect with all their clients. The organization is directed by a husband and wife and they make decisions concerning the firm.

Their main competition is large companies who decide to do their own accounting instead of hiring it out. They overcome this by offering a variety of services and a vast amount of industry knowledge.

The business is funded through revenue that comes from the services they provide to their clients. They serve small and medium enterprises that do business locally and internationally. Besides the two directors, there is one part-time employee, since they are part-time they receive no other benefits besides pay.

The main issue this organization faces is its size. Since they are small but have been gaining clie

Most of my specific goals are related to learning different software that are used in day to day accounting in the US and Europe. I am hoping that when I finish my internship I will be able to use most software that is used in accounting in the US.

• Use QuickBooks
  • I want to be able to manage clients accounts using QBO
    • Including reconciling the account with their bank accounts
    • Learn how classwork converts into real-life work
• Learn AutoEntry
  • Use autoentry to enter data 
    • Use autoentry to categorize date
• Talking to clients
  • I want to become comfortable emailing and talking to clients directly about their business and what I need from them

During the first week of my internship, I began by familiarizing myself with Quickbooks, the software that I will mainly be using during the semester. My first task using Autoentry and Quickbooks to categorize expenses that clients had. This helped me become more comfortable with both software. One of my main goals is to become proficient with Quickbooks and other software because they are very common in the US. This first task helped me work towards this goal by using different features and learning where things are located within them. I have never used either of the software, so it was a good learning experience.

My second task was creating bank deposits in Quickbooks for an online retailer. This was done by matching individual transactions to single deposits. This task also showed me new features on Quickbooks and another piece of software. I was able to use prior knowledge I learned in the classroom when I had to make journal entries for credit card fees and rebates. I found this task relaxing as I was able to listen to the radio while completing it. This was also a good learning experience as I used a new software I had never heard of.

During my first week, my supervisors made me lunch, which helped me get to know them and feel more like family while at work. One day they made grilled halloumi and peppers on a bagel, prior to this I had never had halloumi. I am excited to try more new food so I can make it for myself and my friends.

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