6.00 AM
If I wake up and the body permits, I make my way down to the gym – sometimes this sounds better in theory when setting alarms the night before.
7.30 AM
Back home, quick shower and it is now time to head off to the office. Luckily traffic in Adelaide is not too bad in the morning so a typical commute to work only takes 15-20 minutes! I ride a scooter to work, meaning I am able to park right out front of the BDO building.
8.00 AM
As soon as the elevator doors open on level 6, I place my bag down at my desk and race to the coffee machine. Lucky for us, we have an excellent coffee machine which acts almost as the ‘social hub’ of the office.
8.30 AM
On a typical Monday morning, after I have checked and replied to any adhoc emails which I may have received over the weekend I prepare for a workflow meeting. This meeting allows my immediate workflow team (from graduates such as myself all the way up to partner) to discuss what tasks we are aiming to work on for the week.
9.30 AM
We make our way to one of the meeting rooms and discuss the week ahead. I now have a clear understanding of what I need to complete this week and what work should be my top priority.
10.00 AM
As a graduate accountant in business services, I have the exposure and opportunity to work on a wide variety of jobs daily. Typically, I will be involved in preparing tax returns for either individuals, businesses, or even a group that has both!
Luckily, I sit with some great colleagues who I can always rely on to give me a hand from time to time – this gives me the confidence to ask questions which ultimately develops my accounting skills. While preparing a tax return for an individual, I notice that they are missing some critical information required to finalise the job. I draft an email for my manager to send to the client. Hopefully, we will get a response back soon to wrap up this job!
1.00 PM
I like to take lunch at 1:00 pm because this is around the time I begin to suffer from some mental fatigue, however, lunch does change daily. In an ideal world, I would pack my lunch every day. However, most of the time, myself and some colleagues will head to a local café, tram to the mall for some Subway, or on a Friday, head to the pub for a burger!
2.00 PM
Often fighting off a food coma, I return to my desk and check my emails again. It is business activity statements (BAS) time, and as such, I have received some additional information from a manager in my team that is required for me to prepare the BAS. Once I have prepared this, depending on the client, it takes between 20 minutes and 1 hour, I ask my manager to review it. My manager then asks me to lodge the BAS through the ATO portal. Once this has been done, I draft an email to the client outlining that they will either receive a refund (fingers crossed) or have a payable for the quarter.
3.00 PM
This is the very latest in the day that I will dare to battle with the coffee machine. If I am feeling a little tired, I will make one more cappuccino for the day. If I have a coffee after this time, I will be up all night!
5.00 PM
Home time! Well, sort of… Tonight I have footy training which will take up a couple of hours of my evening. I believe it is imperative to maintain a high level of physical activity even while working full time. For me, exercising allows me to switch off from work whilst keeping healthy at the same time.
7.00 PM
Home from footy – now time to relax for the night (and feel guilty about not studying for my chartered accountancy). From here I will prepare everything I need for the following day and have dinner.
10.30 PM
I try and get to sleep by about 10.30 PM. Often good intentions turn bad, and I scroll through social media or watch YouTube for the next hour or so.
Jack Green
Graduate, Business Services
Adelaide