Ben Thompson joined Langham Hall’s London office as a Trainee Accountant in April 2020 and progressed to Assistant Manager in July 2025. Along the way, he qualified with CIMA, learnt from experienced colleagues and began helping newer trainees develop their own skills.
We caught up with Ben to hear how Langham Hall’s apprenticeship model has shaped his experience, from learning through hands-on client work to taking on responsibility and passing his knowledge on to others.
What was your early experience at Langham Hall like?
I joined Langham Hall as a graduate fresh out of university. From the start, I learnt accounting through hands-on client work alongside studying for my CIMA qualification. This helped me put the theory into practice and develop an understanding of the clients’ businesses, rather than just the accounting behind them. Within the first six months, I had built a solid grounding in basic accounting and understood how the clients I worked with operated.
Early involvement in client meetings and email correspondence also helped me build confidence in communicating with clients. This has proved invaluable as I have progressed, as speaking to clients and other stakeholders is a large part of my job as an Assistant Manager.
How has the type of work shaped your professional development?
Working in quarterly cycles has given me regular opportunities to build on what I learnt in the previous quarter. Each cycle brings a chance to take on something new, deepen my understanding and improve how I approach the work.
There is always more to learn in accounting, both technically and operationally. Gradually expanding my responsibilities has helped me build a strong foundation while taking on new challenges, with support available when I need it.
The progression path from trainee to fund accountant is clear and structured, with professional study and practical experience developing alongside one another. Having clear milestones helps you understand what you are working towards and where to focus your development.
From Trainee to Assistant Manager, where have you seen and benefited from the apprenticeship model?
For me, the main benefit of the apprenticeship model is the combination of increasing responsibility and access to experienced colleagues. Being given responsibility early on helped me take ownership of tasks and build confidence, whilst knowing I could turn to my manager or senior colleagues for guidance.
Another benefit for me has been developing my own management and teaching skills by supporting trainees. This has given me practical experience of organising work, communicating clearly and helping others learn. I provide on-the-job guidance alongside more structured, client-specific training where I spot gaps in understanding. I’ve found that relatable, real-life examples help graduates make sense of more complex accounting concepts and apply them to their client work.
It also teaches you the importance of investing time in training. Helping colleagues understand not just how to complete a task, but why it matters, makes it easier to delegate responsibility and support their development.
How did you balance studying for your CIMA qualification with everyday work?
I found balancing study and work challenging at first, particularly while learning how to organise my time outside work. Speaking to my mentor and colleagues who had already been through the process helped me develop a realistic study timetable that left room for my social life as well as work and exams.
Langham Hall’s study leave gave me dedicated time before each exam to consolidate what I had learnt and complete practice questions, which helped me feel more prepared.
The Kaplan courses supported by Langham Hall were also valuable. For the later exams, I attended live online classes, where I could work through challenging topics, ask the tutor questions and receive feedback on homework. This helped me identify areas I needed to revisit and address them before the exam.
What advice do you have for future trainees?
My advice to future trainees would be to get involved in the wider business once you feel comfortable with your day-to-day client work. Alongside fund administration, there are opportunities to contribute to business development, systems development and adoption, process improvement and committees. I’ve been on the charity committee for four years and am currently co-chair, where I’ve arranged and led our annual volunteering days, including a gardening day and a foodbank volunteering day. Over the last year, I’ve also been involved in adopting and developing AI processes within fund administration, helping shape our approach to using AI and rolling out the best use cases for individuals in their day-to-day work.
For me, this breadth of exposure is a real benefit. It keeps the work engaging and helps you understand what goes into developing a business and a team, making you a more rounded professional.
