I have been working at an accounting service company for more than 15 years, and I hear this question often. There are several reasons why I have stayed in this field for so long — and I am certainly not the only one who has found their place specifically in this type of company.
For a young and beginning assistant, the main reason for this career choice is the chance to gain real experience. In a service-based company, you can start doing actual work right away, together with experienced colleagues. At Grant Thornton Baltic, it has always been our practice to involve new assistants in several colleagues’ projects so they can quickly gain a better overview of the company, their team members, and our clients. I believe that the more exposure and collaboration an assistant has with different accountants and senior accountants, the broader and richer their knowledge base becomes. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and there is always something to learn from everyone.
You are never left alone
Working together with colleagues of different seniority levels brings many additional benefits. One of the biggest advantages is that no one is ever left alone in any project. There is always someone available to help and someone who can step in during vacations or sick leave.
Another strong argument is the variety of projects and systems you get to work with. Over time, this helps you discover which aspects of the work truly excite you. Not every workplace offers this flexibility, but a service-based firm does. For example, if someone enjoys payroll accounting more, their portfolio can gradually shift in that direction. At the same time, we make sure no one’s workload becomes too one-sided — for true professional growth and career development, every employee should have a chance to challenge themselves in different areas.
Never a dull moment
The benefits of working at an accounting service provider are not limited to young assistants at the start of their careers. Our senior accountants and team leads have also been with us for many years. What motivates them the most is constant opportunities for development and the quality of our team.
Throughout my time at Grant Thornton Baltic, I have never once felt bored — not even for a moment! Every year brings new projects, meaning new systems to learn and new chances to discuss complex client matters with colleagues from different countries — sometimes from completely different time zones.
It is also incredibly valuable to be surrounded by true professionals. Whenever you need to discuss a client-specific question or compare different software solutions, you can always find a colleague who has dealt with something similar. Working at a service-based firm inevitably includes more challenging moments, but over time those challenges often turn into the biggest accomplishments — and that brings a lot of joy.
Those of us who have worked here longer sometimes need that occasional sense of being in the “rat race” — fast-paced, dynamic, and full of action. One of my colleagues once described our company and our people perfectly: “We work hard and we play hard.”
