Career Heroes - Catherine Parker

Tell us more about you

I’m from Co Armagh and I have one sister and one brother, both younger than myself. Country music is a huge passion of mine, so most Saturday nights I can be found jiving the night away on the dancefloor. Aside from my jiving nights out, I like to catch up with friends, get out for a walk in the fresh air, or go to the gym.

 

What kind of work do you do?

My job is very varied, so every day is different. My daily duties include tasks such as invoicing and looking after sales and purchase ledgers, to payroll and month-end preparations, and other ad hoc finance duties.

Sometimes I have meetings about our systems and seeing how we can make them work best for us, testing and implementing any changes that are needed. There’s always plenty to be done.

Most of my role requires me to work on my own and use my own initiative. However, sometimes tasks will require a group effort and I’m really lucky to work with a supportive team who will always help each other out.

How did you become a Finance Assistant?

After completing my A Levels, I graduated from Ulster University with a BA Hons degree in Business Studies and Accounting.

I then completed my CIT (Certificate in Teaching) for my role at the time as a part-time lecturer, as well as completing IAB Bookkeeping and Payroll part time by attending night courses through Southern Regional College.
I started with Tarasis in June 2020 in the Referrals Department and a few months later a vacancy came up for a Finance Assistant. I applied for that, got the job, and started in the Finance Department in November 2020.

In April 2021, I started studying with CIMA to complete exams to become a Chartered Accountant through their Finance Leadership Programme. The help and support I received from the company during my studies and beyond has been amazing, particularly as career progression within the company is something that is encouraged.

If you could do-over, What would you do differently?

With all the knowledge and experience I have now, the one thing I would give more consideration to would be Apprenticeships. These are a great way to get real-life experience of the job and give Apprentices the opportunity to study towards a qualification while also earning at the same time.

There are so many avenues now to get into careers so it’s worthwhile doing some research before making any decisions.