Professional services

Professional services firms work with clients, both individual and corporate, providing a range of services from audit to tax advice. In one of the Big 4 firms you could be offering over 30 different disciplines – but in general the main areas in Jersey are audit, tax and corporate finance. In Jersey there is also a lot of forensic and dispute consulting, where court cases are involved: this includes liquidations, valuations, matrimonial disputes and regulatory advice.

Although you will find some differences in tax legislation and structures, the services are the same whichever jurisdiction you work in. This means that your skills are easily transferable. There are people working in the Channel Islands who have trained in the UK and a variety of overseas locations and then come over here – likewise people who have trained here can go to the UK and beyond! In fact, working in the Channel Islands can give you an advantage: because practices are smaller you are likely to get exposure to a wider range of clients and industries than if you join a large professional services firm in the City. That’s certainly something I found to be true when I moved to Jersey after working in Paris and London.

Business developments

Jersey’s finance industry experienced a period of exceptional growth during 2007, particularly within the funds sector: the value of funds under management increased by 37 per cent. Banking deposits also enjoyed a solid year of growth, passing the £200 billion milestone during the year. Latest statistics also indicate that the volume of new business in the funds sector is holding up well in 2008 despite difficult market conditions and influences.

Graduate opportunities

Graduate entry to professional services is through structured training programmes. Firms will expect candidates to be strong academically because there is a lot of study involved, but your personal qualities are also important. In whatever service line you choose you will be spending a lot of time working at clients’ offices – typically for a week or two at a time – so you will need to thrive on variety and be able to build relationships quickly.

You can also expect a lot of travel to clients in London and beyond. New starters will learn how many different companies work and then be able to specialise. Following your training you may choose to move on, as is common within the industry generally, or to stay in the Channel Islands.