About Us

Collenette Jones is a general practice accountancy firm – but have a quick look at our website and (we hope) you’ll see that we offer Everything* our clients need, all under one roof. We think that’s what sets us apart from our competitors – we are general practice accountants and tax advisors, and we are just as comfortable helping with book-keeping as we are carrying out an audit or giving advice on a business valuation, sale or purchase. Not only that, but our regulated subsidiary – Crossways Trustees – means that we’re able to form companies and provide corporate services, as well as acting as Trustee of a pension fund (or discretionary trust). It is fair to say our work is varied and no two days are ever the same.

We are a relatively small team – three directors and a consultant (who between them own the business), eight professionally qualified accountants, and a number of other staff with accounting technician and / or book-keeping qualifications, a Trust team of four and our invaluable support staff – around 25 people in total. We work hard for our clients but we have a family first mentality and don’t believe in a culture of long hours – we aim to be a business that people are happy to work for, and the majority of our staff have been with us for many years.

About the Role

The job is very varied (as are our clients), practical and ‘hands-on’.  We have a flat management structure, with qualified staff reporting to the directors, which can be a refreshing change for those who are used to working in bureaucratic organisations with many layers of management.  Remuneration reflects the job that you will do, not the position or title.

Typically you will be working on your own, when preparing accounts and income tax returns for owner managed trading companies.  You might also complete an audit from start to finish without assistance from other members of staff or you may work as part of a team on larger audits.  As clients come to trust you, you will become their main point of contact, and you will become familiar with common questions we are asked, such as social security, pensions, personal and corporate income tax as well as some company secretarial issues.

From an accounting angle, the vast majority of our accounts are prepared under FRS 102.  If you are trained in IFRS, you will not find the transition difficult.

About You

Our ideal candidate is a professionally qualified (ACA, ACCA or equivalent) accountant with one to three years’ post-qualified experience, or somebody in the final stages of completing one of these qualifications (one or two papers remaining). You will be independent minded, organised and able to prioritise and manage your own workload. Ideally, you will be working in or have worked in an accountancy practice. You might be looking to work with a different type of client (we’re less financially-services orientated than many of the larger accountancy practices), or you might be looking for the work-life balance that a smaller family-friendly firm can offer, having worked for a larger organisation.

A lot of our work is accounting based, and you will need to demonstrate either accounting experience or an aptitude to learn accounting skills. Experience of using the more common off the shelf online book-keeping / accounting packages would be useful. If you do not have an accountancy practice background, but can demonstrate the core skills, then your application for the position will still be very welcome.

You may have some tax experience, but this is not essential, as external and on the job training will be provided.  Our tax work tends to focus on local issues, whether that is Guernsey tax laws and practice or UK tax rules and regulations impacting on local individuals and companies.

You will have a friendly and open disposition and able to get on with everybody – our clients come from a huge range of backgrounds, and you need to be comfortable dealing with people from all walks of life. 

If you like the sound of the position and would like to apply, please write to Gareth Nicolle, Director, at Crossways Centre, Braye Road, Vale, Guernsey, GY3 5PH – or email: gareth@cjco.gg – enclosing your CV and a covering letter.

* That’s what we offer our clients: Everything* as standard