Early talent

Whether you’re a graduate or a school leaver, you’ll get your career off to a great start by joining one of our training programmes, enabling you to study while gaining valuable experience on the job. In fact, the quality of our apprenticeships is so high, we’re recognised as one of the government’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

You’ll receive high quality training in a personal, friendly environment, supported throughout by a buddy, training manager, training partner and your dedicated Early Talent team.

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

Graduates

If you have a degree – in any discipline – you can study toward various professional qualifications while getting hands-on experience alongside our skilled professionals, with our range of training programmes.

Great for individuals with a degree seeking to re-skill or recent university graduates, you’ll complete a comprehensive apprenticeship training programme equipping you with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to excel in the role and deliver our first-class service.

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.

For more information, explore the available opportunities below.

Graduate trainee programmes

Audit, Accounts and Tax – ACA Trainee Programme

We are not currently recruiting for this programme, but applications for March 2025 will open this July, and applications for September 2025 will open this September.

Study our ACA Level 7 apprenticeship training programme and gain experience working across audit, accountancy, and taxation for an array of businesses over a wide range of sectors including technology, charity, healthcare, and renewable energy.

You’ll work with clients from the start, getting to know their organisations and understanding their challenges. Encouraged to take responsibility early on, you’ll be exposed to all aspects of the job with projects of differing durations.

While most of our trainees have a generalist experience, there are opportunities for those with a specific interest in acquiring specialist audit expertise with our Nonprofit team or Corporate Audit team, which focuses on large and complex clients.

Corporate and Business Tax – ACA/CTA Trainee Programme

We are not currently recruiting for this programme but applications for September 2025 will open this September.

Looking to get your career started in corporate and business taxation? Become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser with our ACA CTA apprenticeship training scheme.

Receive first class experience as part of our growing Business and Corporate Tax team, which acts for a diverse portfolio across both wider firm and tax only clients spanning dynamic sectors, including technology, charity, healthcare, and renewable energy.

Private Client Tax – ATT/CTA Trainee Programme

We are not currently recruiting for this programme but applications for September 2025 will open this September.

Kick-start your career in personal tax and become a fully qualified Chartered Tax Adviser with the ATT/CTA programme. Play a key part in our growing tax team bringing value to a variety of clients across many sectors.

You’ll sit within our Private Client Tax team which make complex tax issues digestible for the clients they work with, helping them navigate complex tax issues while building long-term relationships. You’ll gain great exposure across a range of services including estate planning, private office and financial services to both clients of the wider firm and tax clients exclusively.

Corporate Finance – ACA Trainee Programme

We are not currently recruiting for this programme, but applications for March 2025 will open this July, and applications for September 2025 will open this September.

Fast tracking you to success, move from graduate to qualified Chartered Accountant in just three years with our Corporate Finance ACA level 7 apprenticeship programme.

You’ll start by establishing a foundational understanding of our business in our Advice, Audit and Accounts team. Following that, you’ll transition to our Corporate Finance team, collaborating with senior colleagues on client work, and also engage with the Business Development team which provides essential support to the department.

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.

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

School leavers trainee programmes

Audit, Accounts and Tax – AAT Trainee Programme

We are currently recruiting for September 2024 intake.

Study our Level 4 AAT training programme to get on-the-job experience in audit, accountancy, and taxation for a variety of businesses across industries spanning technology, charity, healthcare, and renewable energy.

From day one you’ll dive deep into our clients’ businesses, discovering their unique challenges. We champion early responsibility, enabling you to explore all aspects of the job, engaging in projects lasting from a few days to several weeks. You’ll primarily work alongside out talented Advice, Audit and Accounts team, while also gaining experience with the Tax teams.

While most of our trainees opt for a generalist experience, we’re thrilled to offer specialised audit experience within our Nonprofit team, or the Corporate Audit team who work with larger, complex audit clients.

Apply here

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.

Internships

Audit and Accounts Industrial Placement Programme

We are not currently recruiting for this programme but applications for our 2025 intake will open this December.

Joining Moore Kingston Smith on an Industrial Placement means you will gain experience working in audit and accounts for a variety of businesses across a wide range of sectors, including technology, charity, healthcare and renewable energy. We are committed to giving each person that joins us first class training in a personal and friendly working environment.

Audit and Accounts Summer Placement Programme

We are not currently recruiting for this programme but applications for our 2025 intake will open this December.

Joining Moore Kingston Smith on summer placement means you will gain experience within our audit and accounts team. We work with businesses across a wide range of sectors including technology, charity, media and professional services, and through this placement you will gain insight into the work we do for our clients.

Application process

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

The Early Talent team is here for you throughout the recruitment process and your contract, and we can discuss any individual adjustments you may need. Supplying the application form in an alternative format, delivering presentation slides in advance, in hard copy, or scheduling regular comfort breaks are just a few examples of the support we can provide.

If you’re successful in securing a place, we’ll organise a call to discuss how we can work together to enable you to perform at your best. For a confidential conversation with us before applying, contact earlytalent@mks.co.uk.

Stage one: Online application form

You’ll complete an online form designed to help you get to know what matters to us and set you up for success. You’ll have the opportunity to give us feedback – so do tell us what you think!

Applied is a platform that helps us ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process, anonymising applications and scoring them question by question. We want to get to know you, understand your potential and get a sense of your ability to enjoy and commit to the role – far more important than where or what you studied, or any previous work experience! We’ll ask about your university education in the eligibility questions purely for reporting purposes – we won’t see this information when reviewing your answers.

We encourage you to access the form as soon as possible and allow yourself ample time to research the questions and ensure you are happy with your answers. You may find it useful to copy and paste the questions into a document so you can spell check and ensure you’re within the word limit.

Stage two: Online testing

If you score well, you’ll be invited to complete an interactive online assessment which helps us understand your potential across applied numerical and verbal intellect, and your behaviours, through various multiple-choice questions.

To demonstrate your strengths, we ask four video interview questions. You’ll receive a report after completing the assessment, enabling you to gain insight into your traits and abilities, and how to develop your skills.

You’ll be able to practice and get comfortable with the process before you get started on the questions, so use this time to prepare your responses.

Stage three: Assessment centre

If you’re progressed, you’ll be invited to an online assessment centre. Once scheduled, you’ll receive an agenda for the day and guidance on how to prepare.

Those who’ve applied for a summer internship or industry placement will be invited to an online interview with the Early Talent team, rather than an assessment centre.

Stage four: Partner interview

In the final stage you’ll be interviewed by a Partner from the office you’re being considered for. They want to understand more about you, your motivations for joining us and where you can add value.

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.

Click the headings below to explore the key skills that we seek and assess for through our recruitment process:

Building relationships

In every aspect of the role, you’ll collaborate with others to accomplish tasks. Confidence is key as you’ll be interacting with clients in a friendly and professional manner.

Creativity and innovation

We seek individuals eager to get to grips with different challenges and bring a fresh perspective. You should relish the opportunity to learn new systems and technologies, while embracing innovation and proposing fresh approaches.

Initiative and drive

You’ll need to make decisions, solve problems, and see a task through to completion. Be ambitious about your own development, set yourself high standards and strive to excel.

Flexibility and adaptability

You’ll experience an array of projects of differing durations across various teams and clients. So, you’ll need to be adaptable, with a good eye for detail while keeping the bigger picture in mind.

Presenting and communicating

We recognise the value of diverse perspectives, one of which will be yours. You’ll be analysing information, writing, and presenting to various audiences in a clear, concise and persuasive way.

Commercial awareness

To best support our clients, you need to understand their business. We are looking for people who are curious about how industries and businesses work, stay informed on current events and consider their impact on our clients and the services they need.

Get in touch

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