In The Frame - Evie Molloy, Hemingway Bailey & MixEd

This monthly feature focuses on a local business person, in a questions and answers format.

1. How long have you been an apprentice, and what made you choose that route?

I have been an apprentice for 18 months now. I had a place at university to start in September 2013, but I knew that was not the route I wanted to go down – I could not handle another 3 years+ in a classroom. After finding that I was interested in accountancy from doing a BTEC at East Riding College, I started looking into how to become an accountant. That’s when the careers advisor at college told me about apprenticeships – it was news to me that you could even do them in accountancy! I started applying for roles and Hemingway Bailey was my first interview. Alan and I clicked at the interview and since taking the job I have had no doubts that I made the right decision. I love being an apprentice and working at Hemingway Bailey!

2. How long is your apprenticeship?

All together around six years. I have already done 18 months, so I have four and a half years left.. three years is of the AAT at East Riding College, then after that I have three years of professionals which will most likely be distance learning.

3. How much time do you spend studying, and how much in the world of work? Do you manage to juggle them both effectively?

I spend most of my time in the world of work at the moment. Last year at college it was the very basics, so I could get away with just studying around exams, this year it is a little more intense. I currently work Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, but leave early on a Wednesday and Thursday, as I attend college 6-9pm on a Wednesday and Thursday evening. Around exam time I study in and out of work time, but Hemingway Bailey is very flexible with me and I am flexible with them, so I study as and when I need to. I know that next year the amount of time I have to spend studying will go up again as the workload gets more complex and more of it. In professionals I am expecting to become a recluse with the amount of work I will need to do.

4. How has being an apprentice benefited you, both as a person and in your career?

This is such a hard question because I am a completely renewed person! I am so much more confident and my people skills have had to be developed because I am constantly in contact with clients and other business people. I have managed to gain invaluable experience, and working alongside studying has made the pieces fall into place so much better, as I understand the theory of the practical I now do at work. I now have 18 months experience, a permanent job, no student debt and loads of life experiences! I have met so many different types of people and it has given me an insight into the huge world of business in this region and beyond!

5. What is your proudest achievement in your career?

I would have to say being Apprentice of the Year for the Yorkshire and Humber region this year. I applied not expecting to be shortlisted or anything so, when I was, I was so excited. I had not really thought that what I was doing was that impressive, but Hemingway Bailey has given me so many opportunities to do things which most apprentices wouldn’t be able to do, so massive credit to Alan and the team!

6. What has been your biggest challenge?

Time management. I hate mornings. Working 9-5 is a big shock to the system after only being in college for 16 hours a week! I currently run my own business MixEd too, to try to help other aspiring young people gain the soft skills employers crave, so that they can gain a promotion or a job they would like! That takes up a lot of time, which does run into my normal working week, but I try to do it out of work hours, as it is separate. I then also go to college Wednesday and Thursday evenings and I am currently training to be a guide leader at a guide unit in Beverley on a Monday evening. Put on top of that friends and family and it makes for a pretty hectic lifestyle!

7. Do you have any advice for aspiring apprentices?

Make yourself stand out and treat it as a job, not an apprenticeship. When applying for apprenticeships, it is tough, and if you have something interesting on your CV or to talk about at interview then it will really make you stand out. I had a part-time job at college and volunteered at a local charity shop, which showed Alan I wasn’t lazy and gave me experience with things I didn’t even realise would be relevant, such as customer service. And always make sure you know what you want out of your apprenticeship, for me it is to become a fully qualified accountant with Hemingway Bailey. That means that, as much as possible, I try to act like that is where I am aiming for. I’ve taken on lots of extra responsibilities and I have tried to make myself (and hopefully succeeded) an invaluable member of the team, so that I am integral to the running and future of the business.

8. Can you explode the myth that accountants are boring?

We are definitely not all boring – I have met a few that are. I am really lucky to get on so well with all of my colleagues at Hemingway Bailey and the office is always a really nice place to be –except on 31 January (Self-Assessment Deadline Day). We have partied over Christmas and we make a real connection with our clients, so that we can really understand their businesses to help them grow and develop. We always aim to please and I can assure you nobody in the Hemingway Bailey team is due a personality transplant!