On 1 June this year, 13 years after joining Johnston Carmichael as a graduate, I was promoted to the firm’s senior leadership team as a Tax Partner.

I am incredibly proud to be playing a key role in the business, and one aspect of my job that I particularly enjoy is developing the next generation of Johnston Carmichael leaders.

Growing up in Aberdeen, I was always interested in science and maths-based subjects and when I left school, I started an engineering degree.  Relatively early in the course, I realised that my interests lay elsewhere.  Having undertaken various internships and work experience in commercial and finance teams whilst at school, I decided I would be better suited to accountancy.  The following year I went back to university and enrolled on an accounting and finance course.

While at university, I encountered several accountancy firms at careers fairs and as part of the milk round. A key attraction of the graduate programme at Johnston Carmichael was that it offered a choice of roles – including audit, business advisory and tax that year.  These days, the graduate roles at Johnston Carmichael are even broader with the firm having grown in terms of geography as well as sector and business line specialisms.

However, the main attraction for me was that I wouldn’t just be another number – I didn’t want to be one of hundreds or even thousands of new recruits joining a firm’s graduate intake. Large enough to have lots of interesting and varied clients, and with a strong reputation for its commitment to training, Johnston Carmichael seemed like the perfect opportunity, and I have never looked back.

Reflecting on my early career, what’s great about our graduate programme is the variety of training available. As a full-service firm, we offer a complete range of accountancy, tax and advisory services to clients all over the UK.  Although I knew I wanted to go down the corporate tax route, I was able to also gain experience in private client tax and audit. We offer flexible start dates too, with graduates able to defer their start from August to January if they would like to travel or have other life experiences before starting a professional training contract.

With the wide range of opportunities available, our graduate programme isn’t just for individuals with an accounting background.  We welcome graduates from lots of different disciplines, including law, business and economics, and engineering/sciences.

Our graduates also benefit from a wealth of support from colleagues and our dedicated Early Careers team. When I left university, I was really focused on gaining further qualifications and received crucial paid study leave to enable me to do this. This continued when I pursued my chartered tax exams in 2015 after becoming a chartered accountant the previous year.

We have a strong focus on wellbeing, to make sure everyone feels valued, appreciated, and heard. To help us achieve this, we have a People and Culture Forum, which gives our people an opportunity to discuss and help implement ideas for positive change.​​​​​ Our offices also have Social Committees to organise events for our teams to get together and have fun, as well as many fundraising opportunities for local and national charities.

As a firm, Johnston Carmichael is great at rewarding people and acknowledging their efforts. There is a culture of people leading their own learning, and I can genuinely say that I was able to take the career path I wanted. The support I've had throughout my career is the reason I'm still at Johnston Carmichael. I’ve learned so much from the people around me, and I am still learning from them to this day.

While a career in engineering wasn’t for me, becoming a tax adviser and joining Johnston Carmichael undoubtedly was. I’d encourage any individual who is looking for a rewarding career, working with interesting and diverse businesses at all stages of their life cycle, to consider our fantastic graduate programme.

Johnston Carmichael’s graduate recruitment programme opens on 26 August. For further information visit our Careers page here.