Trainee Accountant - Office for Students

Job summary

Trainee Accountant

Salary: £37,614 – £ 38,577 plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

Fixedterm: 3 years

Location: Bristol

Build a finance career that makes a difference

Whatever your route into finance, if you're looking for a career where you can develop professionally, maintain a healthy work-life balance and do work that matters, we'd like to hear from you.

About us

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England. We regulate higher education on behalf of all students, ensuring that every student, regardless of their background, has a fulfilling experience that enriches their lives and careers. We have high ambitions and offer great opportunities to get involved in bringing that vision to life.

What you'll get:

• Funded study towards a CCAB-recognised accounting qualification dedicated study support and practical experience across multiple areas of finance
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements that support a healthy work-life balance
• Early responsibility and exposure to senior stakeholders
• A supportive team environment focused on learning and development
• The opportunity to do work that helps improve outcomes for students across England
• Generous annual leave and access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme

Learn, develop and grow

As a trainee accountant, you'll gain experience across the full finance function through duties in Financial Accounting and Business Partnering. You'll work on a wide range of activities, from financial transactions and month-end processes to budgeting, forecasting and supporting decision-making across the organisation.

Alongside your day-to-day role, we'll support you to study towards a CCAB -recognised professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA - others considered). You'll receive practical experience, professional development and dedicated support to help you succeed.

Our Finance and Procurement team is small, supportive and highly regarded. You'll work closely with experienced colleagues, take on meaningful responsibilities from an early stage and gain exposure to senior stakeholders across the organisation.

Job description

About the role

We're looking for a trainee accountant to join our Finance and Procurement team. This is an opportunity to build a professional finance career while contributing to work that has a real impact on people's lives.

What you'll get:

• Funded study towards a CCAB-recognised accounting qualification dedicated study support and practical experience across multiple areas of finance
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements that support a healthy work-life balance
• Early responsibility and exposure to senior stakeholders
• A supportive team environment focused on learning and development
• The opportunity to do work that helps improve outcomes for students across England
• Generous annual leave and access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme

Learn, develop and grow

As a trainee accountant, you'll gain experience across the full finance function through duties in Financial Accounting and Business Partnering. You'll work on a wide range of activities, from financial transactions and month-end processes to budgeting, forecasting and supporting decision-making across the organisation.

Alongside your day-to-day role, we'll support you to study towards a CCAB -recognised professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA - others considered). You'll receive practical experience, professional development and dedicated support to help you succeed.

Our Finance and Procurement team is small, supportive and highly regarded. You'll work closely with experienced colleagues, take on meaningful responsibilities from an early stage and gain exposure to senior stakeholders across the organisation.

Person specification

About you

You'll be a recent accountancy graduate or have previous finance experience, including being part-qualified with a CCAB body or AAT qualified. You'll also have:

• Good analytical and data processing skills
• Strong Excel skills
• Excellent organisation and attention to detail
• The confidence to communicate with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels
• A proactive approach and a willingness to learn

For the purposes of recruitment to the role, we are measuring the following core competencies:

Collaborating and partnering

• Collaborating and partnership is about building strategic, inclusive relationships, built on mutual respect, confidence and trust, that enable us to deliver our priorities. Internally, it includes effective teamwork.

Communicating and influencing

• Whether verbal or written, communication should carry clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It should respect the needs, responses and opinions of others, and anticipate concerns. The OfS should provide information that is easily understood by everyone.

Managing a quality service

• Managing a quality service means being set up to deliver the activity in our business plan. It is about all staff contributing to setting the standards that lead to a high-quality service, considering different stakeholder needs and requirements. We want a culture that encourages continuous improvement, efficiency and value for money, to fulfil the OfS’s regulatory role and mission. Motivated staff who are well-led, clear about the OfS’s purpose, engaged in their work, and well-supported will produce high quality, and cost-efficient services.

Developing self and others

• Developing self and others is about a focus on continuous professional development and learning for ourselves, our colleagues, and the wider organisation, by ensuring there is an effective mix of behaviours, knowledge, and skills to meet the OfS’s evolving needs.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,614, Office for Students contributes £10,896 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application process

There are 3 online application questions to complete, alongside providing a copy of your CV, which will allow you to demonstrate your relevant experience.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you through the application stage, please contact us at recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk and we will be happy to help.

Working for us

The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.

We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that it can enable people to work more effectively. A set of organisation-wide principles shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. In a typical week, we expect colleagues to spend several days working from the office, balancing business needs, team collaboration and individual responsibilities.

To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part time working, apply to this role.

Closing date for applications: 25 August 2026 at noon

Interviews: From w/c 7th September

For information: the OfS does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment Team
• Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk
• Telephone : 01179317444

Recruitment team

• Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk

Further information

Careers - Office for Students

Attachments

Why work for the OfS Feb 2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 425kB)