The apprentice: a day in the life of Rachel Powell, Credit Controller at Egbert Taylor

I generally start my day at 8.15am, when I report into the Finance Director – who also happens to be my Mom, it really is a joy to work at Egbert Taylor. Everyone’s friendly here, and everybody gets on well. 

Prior to my current role, I was managing invoices in. Now, as credit controller, I get to see more of the business and understand how it all fits together. For example, I now work closely with the sales team to ensure that our customers are getting what they need from us on time, such as invoices and that we’re receiving the necessary funds in return.

I’m currently doing an apprenticeship, too. I’m just about to finish my Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) level 2. Once completed, I’ll move up to level three. It’s really useful as it provides a wider context to how I’m supporting the business. Rather than simply doing a task, the AAT qualification helps me to understand why I’m doing it.

A typical day for me involves chasing customers for payment, updating cash sheets and pulling various reports from the system. Oh, and drinking lots of cups of tea of course. I’ve been with the business since 2019, so I’m a newbie when it comes to Egbert Taylor and the many longstanding members of the team. I took over the role of a temporary worker and never left, but I really enjoy it.

When I’m not working, I can often be found with my partner walking my three pugs: Reggie, Nora and Marley. We adopted Marley back in February when his former owner, after having him for five years, decided to give him away. Still, it’s been our gain as he’s such a lovely boy.

At the moment, my partner and I are doing up our house, so our time is taken up. We still managed to get away this year, though – although sadly we couldn’t take the dogs. Thankfully, I have a younger (and very useful) sister who is more than happy to dog-sit for me. She can also be found at Oak Park from time to time, too, where she handles Egbert Taylor’s admin on a part-time basis.

Egbert Taylor is a great place to work – and what with all my family members who work there, it sometimes even feels like a home from home.