Douglas Home & Company, a director-led Chartered Accountancy firm offering expert advice and financial leadership, has welcomed a group of trainees after a search for new talent took them to schools in the area.

The leading financial firm, with trusted advisors providing their services in offices in Kelso, Melrose, Haddington, Alnwick, Selkirk and Hawick, has recruited three new members of staff to join their Kelso office – two of which are recent school leavers from nearby Jedburgh Grammar School.

Rebecca Johnston, 20, has joined the company after working in an administrator role for four years. For Robbie Anderson, 17, and Jody Cree, 16, this is their first ‘proper’ job since leaving school in the summer.

The traineeship, a brand-new initiative from Douglas Home & Company to nurture new talent with an interest in working in the financial industry, will see the three new recruits spend time working in a variety of disciplines within the business over the next 12 months, from tax returns to bookkeeping, to give them a flavour of the work as well as invaluable experience.

Joining the company officially at the beginning of the month, the three new additions have begun their traineeship by learning about bookkeeping. Robbie and Jody heard about the opportunity to work with Douglas Home & Company through social media, and a careers fair at their school.

Robbie explained:

“I went along to our school careers fair and spoke to the team here and they told me they were considering recruiting school leavers. I kept an eye out for any opportunities after that and then saw the advert on Facebook. I’ve always been interested in working with numbers and I’d heard good things about the company so I knew this was the opportunity I was looking for. I live on a farm too which means I have a good understanding of a lot of our rural clients which is an added bonus.”

Jody added:

“There’s a history of accountants in my family and my best subject at school was Accountancy and Finance so it’s no surprise that this traineeship felt like a great fit for me. I knew Douglas Home & Company has a great reputation as well which made the decision to apply easy. I’ve really enjoyed the work so far and everyone has been so welcoming.”

Rebecca wasn’t looking for a new job, but thought the opportunity was too good to miss. She said:

“The opportunity to train in several areas and to do it with a professional company like this really appealed to me. I don’t know which area I’m going to enjoy most yet, but that’s why it’s so good being able to try so many different things. It keeps things interesting!”

Alan Drummond, Manager Director of Douglas Home & Company, said:

“We are delighted to have welcomed Rebecca, Jody and Robbie to our Kelso office. This is a great way for Douglas Home & Company to introduce new people to the company and give them the opportunity to learn about a career in the financial services industry. Our people are out greatest asset and providing opportunities to those at entry-level is a fantastic way to nurture new talent.”

To find out more about Douglas Home & Company visit www.douglashomeandco.co.uk