How an apprenticeship gave me the skills to launch my business
Suffering from severe dyslexia meant I never wanted to go to university. I knew I would struggle writing long essays and dissertations and taking notes in lectures, but my school was very focused on telling its pupils they should gain a degree and never suggested there were different options to think about.
I did a lot of research into audit apprenticeships and discovered so many benefits. They would provide a paid full-time job, pay for my qualifications, and I would enjoy all the advantages of being an employee. It all sounded too good to be true and a far better option than spending £9,000 a year in university fees to gain a qualification thousands of others would have too. With an apprenticeship, I could also stay living at home in SE London and avoid getting myself into thousands of pounds of debt.
After achieving ABB in my A-levels, I was thrilled to receive an offer for a four-year apprenticeship from Mazars, a Top 10 accounting firm and an international firm, specialising in audit, accountancy, advisory, and tax services. It’s among one of the largest firms in its sector and employs over 3,300 people in 14 locations across the UK. It was a fantastic experience, and I feel so lucky that I made it through the thousands of applicants to be one of their three chosen audit apprentices. It definitely gave me the entrepreneurial foundation blocks I needed to later start my own business and I know I wouldn’t have gained these if I’d chosen to study a degree instead.
I learned that theory and practice are two very different things. From the age of 18, I was in front of big clients and got to see inside their finances. This gave me a huge insight into their processes because I had oversight of their audit, revenue, expenses and cash. University doesn’t provide this kind of opportunity to put all the theory into practice across a real scenario so I think this is the main way in which a degree and an apprenticeship differ. I would go off to college for a block of time to learn the theory and then I could very quickly put it into practice. Having the chance to see inside so many other businesses was the thing I found most helpful when I came to start my own. For three years, I’d had the chance to learn directly from experienced accountants and as part of the apprenticeship scheme, I had a mentor and was encouraged to ask as many questions as possible to learn something new every day. I now think learning from people above you is very important and you just don’t get that at university.
By the time I came to start my own firm last year (2023), I had three years of client experience under my belt by the age of 21. For a graduate, they’re only just leaving university at the same age and haven’t had the chance to build it up. Communicating with clients is a big part of my job and is essential for any entrepreneur so it’s important to do it well. I was used to finding a way to get my point of view across and strive for the best outcome, which was a valuable experience. In my second year, I was helping to train graduates who were older than me and had all the theory but not the practical experience.
I have no regrets about not attending university because I know I wouldn’t have been happy. I’m a big advocate for apprenticeship schemes now, as well as financial education, and I could see I had the tools to teach people. So many people don’t understand the basics, such as how to budget, because it’s never taught at school, so there’s a lot of free information on my website to help fill some of the gaps.