When I am asked, ‘You must be so busy with the provisional tax due,’ I look at people with raised eyebrows and think to myself, my specialisation is auditing and accounting, not tax. There is often a misperception that if you do your training at a smaller firm you will be doing more accounting and tax work − while that is true for other companies, it is definitely not the case in my company

In August when the hustle and bustle is starting, when trainees are working late hours drinking coffee like it’s a main meal and using their laptops as pillows, we start to calm down … a little. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying we run out of work by August, all I am saying is that the December year-end clients’ audits have been put on lockdown (or is almost there) and our February/March clients are still organising directors’ and shareholders’ meetings. Our tasks for the last five months of the year are merely a little less stressful compared to the first seven months of chaos.

One of the great aspects of working at a ‘small’ company is that you have almost normal working hours. Yes, you have your normal working hours and you are required to look at review notes in the evenings, but you do spend more time at home than some of your friends at larger companies.

The working hours are a perk but being in a small company gives your training a whole different meaning. The office is like a family − you love and hate each other, you talk about your lives, you laugh together and cry together, you have each other’s backs, and you fight like siblings reaching for the TV remote control. Most importantly, your colleagues are always there for you in hard times.

Knowing that I have a personal relationship with the partners, my ‘boss’, is a blessing in disguise. No matter big or small the problem, you can go to them, confide in them, and know that they will help you because they know you. Their doors are always open, literally and figuratively.

Your reviewer is the person responsible for your training; they know your strong points and your weaknesses. When they review your work, you are not just another trainee, they know the name on the paper, and they use the review to identify where you need more training. You get a lot of one-on-one training with the reviewers, who want to help you become the best.

In a smaller company, there are fewer people to ‘carry the load’ and this becomes even more true the more you advance with your training. When your managers and partners see they can trust you, it opens up a whole new world of responsibilities and experience (which is a great point to add on your CV). At bigger companies, you often may go unnoticed due to the vast number of team members. At a smaller company, you may be charged with leading the engagement teams earlier in your training, be given opportunities to explore your teaching abilities with juniors to a greater extent, and be able to have first-hand contact with stakeholders.

In a smaller company you are exposed to leading engagements, drafting financial statements, leading meeting with stakeholders, and gaining supervisor/management experience while you are still training. Also, you are exposed to various types of industries during your training instead of ending up in a specialised department with limited exposure to the different types of entities out there.

Don’t be blinded by the attraction of a name associated with your training contract − big or small, they all have their perks. With the exposure and opportunities I got during my training, I am glad I cancelled my big company training contract and ended up with my audit family.

AUTHOR │ Chantal Potgieter AGSA, Registered Tax Practitioner, BComp Acc Science, Audit Supervisor at Diastoleus Professio Incorporated