£13,000 starting salary at small accounting firm in London - take it or leave it?

I suffer from social anxiety so when I get to the interview stage I get too nervous and forget everything I've planned to say. Sometimes I even struggle to get the words out. I have been getting help for the past year or so and although it has improved I've still got a long way to go. Also, the rejections haven't really helped with my confidence either. Not sure what else I could do really.

People also seem to be forgetting that a lot of the time you can't just leave a training contract - you often have to buy your way out which could be pricey.

I finished university almost 4 months ago with a first class degree in Accounting and Finance.

I have applied to pretty much every accounting firm out there and have got rejected at some point in the recruitment process whether that was at the interview stage or the assessment centre. [Probably have applied to over 100 companies]. I'm a pretty positive person but I have been feeling down thinking about it.

I have got some experience having done some voluntary work at a solicitors office (about 6/7 months) and did do a couple of weeks work experience at an accounting firm but I have never had a paid job.

Now though, I have been offered an ACCA training contract at a small accounting firm in London. But the issue is they are only offering £13,000 which is pretty low having looked around even though my employer did say that it will increase once I get a grasp of the work (he didn't mention by how much but I assume not significantly since it is a small firm).

I have until Monday to decide and wanted to know what others thought.

Hahahaha, Why people do degrees in accounting I will never understand. 2 year college course and you're ready to roll. This is why you are getting rejected, you are competing with people who started at 18 and have tons more work experience than you. You don't know any more than they do yet have no experience in accounting. I speak from experience, loads of people at my school chose accounting degrees, they all work in retail now. Basically what they are offering is an apprenticeship in all but name which is why the pay is so low. You should have been applying for these when you were 18. So there you have it, you have to pretend you never did a degree and start at the bottom. My dad got into the local council on an apprenticeship and he said that there were graduates there doing the exact same job for the exact same pay as him, the graduates just got promoted faster.

I'm not sure what is exactly so funny to you. I knew I didn't have to go to university to become an accountant but I decided to go not simply because it would increase my job prospects but because going to university was a lifetime goal. Yes its helped me gain a breadth of knowledge in accounting but more importantly university has helped me develop myself as a person. I wouldn't exchange that experience for anything. Of course everyone has their own opinion but for me I want to enjoy my life to the fullest and if I had missed out going to university I would have regretted it.

I'd suggest clarifying exactly how your future pay increases will work. I don't work in accounting, but I thought you got pay increases per exam passed? Perhaps these are quite reasonable, so it's worth clarifying.

But as you said, there's no harm in taking it for 3 months whilst you look for something better. Provided there are no penalties for you leaving so soon after starting. Read the contract carefully if you are going down this route. If you didn't take the job, what would you do and be earning instead in those three months?

The pay will depend on how quickly I am able to grasp the tasks given to me and when I start to work with clients one to one. But you're right, he did say the pay will increase after each exam pass and also when I qualify.

And if I didn't take it up then I would most probably spend my time at the solicitors office voluntarily which although I have enjoyed is not something I would like to go into.

Well it sure as hell didn't increase your job prospects.
Ok if you think the debt and partying instead of gaining work experience was worth it then good for you.

Do you mind me asking if the volunteering would be in London or not? It's just that if it is in London, you'll be incurring similar expenses but not earning anything. And if it's outside of London, it's worth making up a quick spreadsheet to estimate your costs for both options and compare.

It's good that you still have something to do, and therefore something to put on your CV and talk about in interviews.