A Day Inside an Accountancy Practice - Work Shadowing
On the 22nd of January, I spent a day work-shadowing at an accountancy firm (Leadenhall Financial Management Limited) in London. I went in by train with my dad, who dropped me off at the office before heading off himself.
The day started with an introduction from Suresh, who kindly explained the fundamentals of how the firm works and what kind of services they provide. I was given an overview of accounting, tax, and business advisory work, and how things like VAT, payroll, and year-end accounts fit together.
He then took me on a short tour of the office, which helped me visualise how everything operated day-to-day and introduced me to some of the people there. After that, I spent time with one of the accountants, who talked me through the work she was doing and explained what she was thinking as she went along. I watched how financial records are handled, how reports are prepared, and how carefully everything has to be checked. I also saw her coaching a training colleague through part of a task, from which I was able to learn how the process was done too
This was where a lot of things I’d only heard about before started to make sense - concepts like balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements weren’t just definitions anymore. I also learned about tax planning and compliance, and how accountants have to constantly stay on top of changing rules and deadlines.
One thing that stood out throughout the day was how much responsibility is involved. I learned about the professional code of ethics accountants follow, including integrity, objectivity, confidentiality, and professional behaviour. They affected everyday decisions, from how client information is handled to how careful you have to be when filing or wording documents. Even small administrative mistakes can lead to penalties, which really highlighted how much precision matters. Accuracy along with the skill of speed and multi-tasking was especially highlighted to me as crucial for an accountant.
After lunch, I spent time with another accountant who showed me what happens behind the scenes on more complex tasks. She explained a process she was working through and talked honestly about the all challenges involved, including dealing with documents in another language and having to translate and interpret them correctly! That conversation changed how I saw the job. Until then, I hadn’t realised how much judgement, patience, and problem-solving is involved - it isn’t just following steps, but thinking through messy, real-world situations.
By the end of the day, I realised I had so much about what must go on financially behind every business. I’m genuinely so grateful to everyone who took time out of their work to explain what they were doing and answer my questions. The experience gave me a much clearer picture of how financial systems operate in practice, and it made me more aware of the responsibility and care involved in professional work. It was one of those days that subtly shifts how you see an entire field - and I’m really glad I had the chance to experience it.
