Accounts Trainees support the work of Production Accountants and Assistant Accountants, and contribute to accurate and effective financial accounting on film productions. Accounts Trainees may progress to become Assistant Accountants and, as their experience grows, to the role of Film Production Accountant. The work is largely office based, and Accounts Trainees are usually employed on a freelance basis.

Responsibilities
Accounts Trainees are typically responsible for making and recording payments, processing documents relating to goods and services received, processing authorised payments, preparing ledger balances, and otherwise helping to control accounts. Specific daily duties may involve any combination of the following: sorting and distributing paperwork, stuffing envelopes, delivering per diems (the crew's daily expense payments) to the set, inputting data, making phone calls, photocopying documents, replenishing forms and mailing out cheques and other documents.

Accounts Trainees help to support cost control by coding and extracting information, and by providing comparisons on costs and income. They are also responsible for maintaining accurate accounting files and records, proper record keeping, and minimising risks by regularly backing-up records. Accounts Trainees work under the direction of Production Accountants and Assistant Accountants, and have a general responsibility to help maintain effective working relationships.

They also need to ensure that they contribute to a safe and secure workplace, in line with production policies, and that they do not act in a way that may jeopardise the safety of themselves or others. Accounts Trainees should not be asked to take the place of, or have responsibilities that exceed, those of Assistant Accountants.

Skills
Accounts Trainees should have strong numeric skills, and understand the principles of basic bookkeeping. They should be computer literate, with good data entry, spreadsheet (Excel) and word processor skills. They need some understanding of the working conditions on film productions (long hours, hard work, unusual schedules, etc.), and must be able to take instructions when directed by more senior Accountants. They should be able to prioritise their time efficiently, and maintain absolute confidentiality. They must also be able to handle stressful situations, and display good communication and people management skills.

Qualifications/Experience
Accounts Trainees should have undertaken an approved course, e.g., an NVQ or SVQ in Bookkeeping, or be able to demonstrate relevant work experience. A basic knowledge of Film Accountancy Budgeting software is an advantage. Career progression in the film industry is usually based on experience; however, the rate of progression in Production Accountancy also depends on the qualifications obtained. Accounts Trainees can advance their careers by participating in the Assistant Production Accountant Training Scheme (APATS), which is delivered by the Production Guild. A full, clean EU driving licence is usually required.

Individual course accreditation in certain subject areas is currently being piloted. As part of Skillset's and the UK Film Council's Film Skills Strategy, A Bigger Future, a network of Screen Academies and a Film Business Academy have been approved as centres of excellence in education and training for film.

Where to go for more information
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries. The first sources of information for all jobs in the industry are the National Occupational Standards. Browse Skillset's website for links to our network of training partners, information about training and access to the comprehensive Skillset/BFI course database. Finally, Skillset Careers is UK's only specialist media careers advice service; for detailed media careers information and advice, visit www.skillset.org/careers.