Balancing being an adviser and a social committee organiser! We talk to Rachel from our Huntly office who works in our Business Advisory team.

Tell us about your JC Path

I joined Johnston Carmichael at 17, straight from school after finishing my five highers. I started My JC Path as an Accounts Assistant and I’ve now progressed to a Business Advisory Senior - which is a great feeling. 

Work-wise, I have gone from knowing very little, to being able to tackle all kinds of jobs from manually coding to VAT work and I’m continuing to learn new software. Along with some of my teammates, I’m also responsible for training up new starts on preparing draft accounts.  

What makes Johnston Carmichael a great place to work?

Everyone is very friendly, approachable and hardworking and I find it really rewarding and flexible too. I like that if you put the work in, it’s recognised and the career opportunities are there for the taking. I also like that even though you don’t chose to go down the line of exams like AAT etc, you can still progress further with your experience and learning on the job – exams aren’t for everyone.

What’s a typical day in the life for you?

I drive to work arriving anything between 8.15am - 8.30am. I then make myself a cup of tea and check my emails before get going with anything I need to get done which usually includes: preparing draft accounts and VAT returns; checking in books and records, requesting info from clients, carrying out any charity bits and bobs and training new members of staff. 

Lunchtime comes and many of us meet to have lunch and a chin wag together. In the afternoon I crack on with the rest of my to do list and then when I’m finished for the day I’ll drive home. Two - three times a week I normally go straight into Keith for a run, then home, supper, jammies on and watch The Bake Off! I do love baking and usually bake a fancy piece a couple times a week!

Do you get involved in many social events in your office?

I love social outings with the office! As the CSR rep for the Huntly team, I organise most of the social events alongside my teammate Dana. We’ve organised boozy afternoon teas, supper and drinks, pizza & prosecco nights, cocktail nights, summer BBQs  - the list is endless! Our Huntly team Christmas night out is always great fun too!

How important is CSR to you?

Very. I joined the CSR committee as soon as I joined JC and I think it’s a great initiative to be involved in. There’s a real emphasis on giving back to your local community at JC and that’s really important to me. I enjoy working with colleagues to come up with fundraising activities, it’s also a great way to bring the whole team together. It’s so rewarding when you present the charities with the money you’ve raised. 

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