Jonny joined Smart Teacher's parent company The Edwin Group fresh out of university with an Accounting and Finance Degree. Immediately, he was able to put his new knowledge into practice with his role in our Payroll department. He really wanted to keep learning and become a qualified accountant, so with the support of the company and his colleagues, here's how he was able to pass his exams with flying colours, whilst growing within the business.

From his very first interview Jonny knew he wanted to work at The Edwin Group. He said: “I knew that The Edwin Group was growing and I would be able to work across their multiple businesses Smart Teachers, Vision for Education and ABC Teachers, which sounded exciting, and I wanted to be a part of it. At my interview, my interviewers made me instantly relaxed and at ease. They asked me specific questions about fitting in with the company's values and dynamics rather than reading pre-set questions from a sheet of paper. I knew straight away this company would be different and it was the place for me.”

Whilst working full-time, Jonny was also studying for his professional accounting exams. He shares: “I had lots to learn for both my exams and my job. I was really fortunate that after about a year in my role, I was sent on a few courses to help improve my knowledge and confidence. Not only did I gain a payroll qualification and learn new skills that would help with my exams, but along the way my managers would even mark some of my practice papers and give me feedback to support my learning. I went on to pass all my exams and I'm now a fully qualified accountant!”

Jonny has grown in leaps and bounds in his career at The Edwin Group and has risen to challenges when they have come his way. He said: “From first starting with The Edwin Group I went from a contract role in Payroll into a permanent job in the Finance department. And more recently, my manager went on paternity leave for 2 weeks during a really busy time for the Finance department. I was given the opportunity to step up and take responsibility for running all the month end files by myself for the first time. It was a great experience to learn how to run the necessary reports and complete the work within the tight deadlines.”

At The Edwin Group, we support individuals like Jonny to achieve their ambitions because we want to see our staff succeed and thrive. Jonny said: “The Edwin Group really supported me and helped when I was struggling with some of the content for my courses. Without their help I don't think I would have passed my exams and achieved my qualifications. This just shows what the people are like here – everyone would go out of their way to help you, and I think that is what makes it such a great place to work.”