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You’ll get your career off to a great start by joining a Moore Kingston Smith training programme, enabling you to study toward a professional qualification, while gaining valuable experience on the job.

We’re an accredited training firm, committed to giving everyone who joins us first class training in a personal and friendly working environment. By joining one of our comprehensive training programmes, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the role and deliver our stellar client service. In fact, the quality of our apprenticeships is so high, we’re recognised as one of the government’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

Undergraduates looking for real world exposure to accountancy can also get stuck in with our summer internship and industry placement opportunities.

Whatever path you choose, we have clear progression routes, and there’s plenty of opportunity to take your career in the direction you desire at Moore Kingston Smith. In fact, many of our partners started our as trainees here and through hard work, commitment and drive have gone on to leadership roles.

Graduates

If you have a degree in any discipline, you can join one of our Level 7 apprenticeship programmes, where you will study toward a professional qualification, while getting hands-on experience alongside our skilled professionals. We recruit for two intakes per year, with start dates in March and September.

Great for individuals with a degree seeking to re-skill or recent university graduates looking to apply their knowledge, you’ll complete a 3-year training programme, where you will be equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to excel in the role and deliver our stellar client service.

From the get-go, you’ll work with our clients, who choose us because we understand them so well. So, you’ll get to know their businesses, uncover the obstacles they face and become familiar with their sectors

You’ll receive guidance in all tasks and get exposure across the wider business while learning about the many ways we help and engage with our clients.

As a graduate, you could join a training programme in one of the following teams, and still benefit from the exposure across a range of other teams, sectors and services.

Graduate trainee programmes

Advice, Audit & Accounts ACA Programme

Through our Level 7 apprenticeship you will gain the ACA qualification and become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant while working with a variety of businesses, across a wide range of sectors including technology, real estate and media.

Our Advice, Audit & Accounts team are trained to have broad experience across a range of disciplines, from audit and accounts through to tax and other advisory services, so we can support our clients cross-discipline solutions. These teams work with clients who vary in size, from sole traders to medium and large businesses, across a wide range of sectors.

Nonprofit Audit ACA Trainee Programme

Through our Level 7 apprenticeship you will gain the ACA qualification and become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant while working with a variety of nonprofit clients. Our award-winning nonprofit team delivers comprehensive auditing and accounting services, as well as advice on governance and strategy. We have been voted the top firm for overall service in Charity Finance’s Audit Survey 2023/24, out of the leading top 10 charity specialist firms in England – an accolade we have now attained for the last 9 years in a row.

We are renowned for working with a broad range of social impact organisations including NHS charities, museums, arts and culture charities and many more. The team are also a leader in the education sector, working with over 200 educational organisations, focusing on independent schools, academies and Oxford colleges. Becoming part of our nonprofit team means gaining significant experience with a diverse range of charities, as well as corporate experience through working with trading subsidiaries and corporate membership organisations. The nonprofit team comprises around 60 people and there’s a huge focus on growth, development and support to trainees.

Corporate Audit Services ACA Trainee Programme

Through our Level 7 apprenticeship, gain the ACA qualification and become a ICAEW Chartered Accountant while working with a variety of businesses as part of our corporate audit team.

Our corporate audit team focuses on mid-market private, listed and private equity backed businesses. Our clients vary in size and maturity from multi-billion-pound UK-headquartered groups with global operations, to smaller high-growth businesses with significant financial backing – and everything in between. Due to the size of the clients we work with, audits can take from a couple of weeks up to a couple of months.

Of our 100-strong team, just under 50 of these are trainees, meaning while the team is big enough to provide lots of opportunities, you’ll receive plenty of support along the way. There’s a core focus on your growth and development with regular ‘Training Tuesdays’, ‘Lunch and Learns’ and ‘Feedback Fridays’, on top of the firmwide training programme offered to trainees.

Private Client Tax ATT/CTA Trainee Programme

Through our Level 7 apprenticeship, gain the ATT and CTA qualifications to become fully qualified as a Chartered Taxation Adviser within our growing Private Client Tax team.

We’re all about working together to realise ambitions. So, our growing Private Client Tax team is comprised of experts who advise clients with every aspect of their tax finances, including personal tax, estate planning, private office and financial services.

As you progress in your role, you can expect to be given more responsibility, including dealing with all day-to-day requirements of a portfolio of clients (often being their first point of contact) and having the opportunity to assist on bespoke tax advisory projects.

Corporate and Business Tax ACA/CTA Trainee Programme

Through our Level 7 apprenticeship, gain the ACA and CTA qualifications to become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant and Chartered Taxation Adviser. Promising challenging, interesting and varied experience, you’ll work with a mix of businesses across multiple sectors, as part of our Corporate and Business Tax team.

We’re all about working together to realise ambitions. So, our Business and Corporate Tax Advisers provide their clients practical, commercially driven, risk-assessed advice. They’ve been helping businesses with every aspect of their taxes for over 80 years, from managing risk, to employment tax, to navigating partnerships and LLPS and beyond.

From the get-go, you’ll work with all kinds of clients, from large corporate groups to single entities. Our clients choose us because we understand them so well, so you’ll get to know our corporate clients and their owners, uncovering the obstacles they face, their preferences and the ways their industries work.

School leavers

Leaving school or college, or looking to re-skill? You’re in the right place. Check out our exciting opportunities to pursue professional qualifications while gaining real-world experience with our expert advisers. We recruit for two intakes per year, with start dates in March and September.

Our mission? To equip you with the expertise, skills and behaviours for success and delivering the high-quality service our clients expect from us.

As you near completion of the apprenticeship, you’ll be considered for progression to a Level 7 apprenticeship programme. Whatever path you choose, we have clear progression routes, and there’s plenty of opportunity to take your career in the direction you desire at Moore Kingston Smith. In fact, many of our partners started our as trainees here and through hard work, commitment and drive have gone on to leadership roles.

School leavers trainee programmes

Advice, Audit & Accounts AAT Programme

Through our Level 4 apprenticeship you will gain an AAT Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting while working with a variety of businesses across a range of dynamic sectors including technology, real estate and media.

Our Advice, Audit & Accounts team are trained to have broad experience across a range of disciplines, from audit and accounts through to tax and other advisory services, so we can support our clients cross-discipline solutions. These teams work with clients who vary in size, from sole traders to medium and large businesses, across a wide range of sectors.

Nonprofit Audit AAT Trainee Programme

Through our Level 4 apprenticeship you will gain an AAT Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting while working with a variety of nonprofit clients.

Our award-winning nonprofit team delivers comprehensive auditing and accounting services, as well as advice on governance and strategy. We have been voted the top firm for overall service in Charity Finance’s Audit Survey 2023/24, out of the leading top 10 charity specialist firms in England – an accolade we have now attained for the last 9 years in a row.

We are renowned for working with a broad range of social impact organisations including NHS charities, museums, arts and culture charities and many more. The team are also a leader in the education sector, working with over 200 educational organisations, focusing on independent schools, academies and Oxford colleges. Becoming part of our nonprofit team means gaining significant experience with a diverse range of charities, as well as corporate experience through working with trading subsidiaries and corporate membership organisations. The nonprofit team comprises around 60 people and there’s a huge focus on growth, development and support to trainees.

Corporate Audit Services AAT Trainee Programme

Through our Level 4 apprenticeship, gain an AAT Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting while working with a variety of businesses as part of the corporate audit team.

Our corporate audit team focuses on mid-market private, listed and private equity backed businesses. Our clients vary in size and maturity from multi-billion-pound UK-headquartered groups with global operations, to smaller high-growth businesses with significant financial backing – and everything in between. Due to the size of the clients we work with, audits can take from a couple of weeks up to a couple of months.

Of our 100-strong team, just under 50 of these are trainees, meaning while the team is big enough to provide lots of opportunities, you’ll receive plenty of support along the way. There’s a core focus on your growth and development with regular ‘Training Tuesdays’, ‘Lunch and Learns’ and ‘Feedback Fridays’, on top of the firmwide training programme offered to trainees.

Undergraduates

Are you a current university student looking to get a head start with industry experience?

Find out more about our available opportunities below, which provide you with a gateway to make contacts, learn new skills, positively impact our clients, and get more familiar with the field. You’ll receive guidance in all tasks and get exposure across the wider business while learning about the many ways we help and engage with our clients.

We have two types of undergraduate placement roles, depending on the length of experience you’re looking for. As well as gaining valuable experience, you will also be considered for opportunities to return on one of our training contracts, once you graduate!

Internships

Industry Placement

These 12-month placements are for students who are looking to gain valuable, hands-on experience which contributes to their studies and careers. From the get-go, you’ll work with our clients, who choose us because we understand them so well. So, you’ll get to know their businesses, uncover the obstacles they face and become familiar with their sectors. You’ll receive guidance in all tasks and get exposure across the wider business while learning about the many ways we help and engage with our clients.

Summer Internship

Over an 8-week summer placement, you will gain hands-on experience, with the support of a Buddy, Manager and dedicated Early Talent team. In addition to gaining experience, you’ll also learn through a group project, networking and skills sessions. Our mission? To provide you with meaningful work experience, which will support you in your career and the remainder of your studies.

Recruitment process

Our applications process has four key stages. Find information on what to expect and how to prepare below.

The Early Talent team are here to support you throughout the recruitment process and on the training contract. In confidence, we can discuss the individual support and adjustments you may need. A few examples of the support we can provide include, but are not limited to: providing extra time in our interactive assessment or sharing interview questions ahead of time. If successful in securing a place on our training contract, we will organise a confidential call to discuss how we can work with you on the training contract to enable you to perform at your best. Should you need to discuss any adjustments you may need during the recruitment process for any reason including a disability, please contact the team at earlytalent@mks.co.uk.

1. Application

The first step is to apply! You’ll answer some simple questions which are aligned with the requirements of the role, and be asked about what about the role and firm interests you. We recruit on a rolling basis, so would encourage you to apply at your earliest convenience to avoid missing out.

2. Interactive assessment

If your application is progressed, we will reach out by inviting you to complete an interactive assessment online with more information on how to prepare and what to expect.

It is a combination of pre-recorded video questions and interactive tests. This is a great opportunity to help us get to know you better and assess your potential for the role.

3. Virtual interview with one of the Early Talent team

The next stage of the process will be an interview with a member of our Early Talent Team, where you’ll join an online interview to discuss your skills and interest in the role.

4. Final interview in the office which you’re being considered for

The final stage of the process will be an in-person interview, with 2 interviewers from the team which you might be joining! This will be a chance for the team to get to know you, your skills and aspirations, whilst also telling you about the team, the work that they do, and give you a look around the office!

What we look for

Our people thrive through collaborating with their colleagues, supported closely by partners and managers. We’re focused on providing excellent client service, which means a ‘can do’ attitude is vital.

Below are the key skills that we seek and assess for through our recruitment process:

Enthusiasm for building strong relationships and collaborating with clients and colleagues, with close support from your manager.
A proactive, results-driven attitude that ensures excellent client service.
Strong commitment and reliability, enabling you to balance your studies and exams (with paid study leave) alongside your full-time role and responsibilities.
A growth mindset and adaptable approach, with a willingness to continuously acquire new skills and knowledge, supported by your manager, apprenticeship coach and dedicated early talent team.

Early talent