Finance Assistant Income Apprentice

We are looking to appoint a Finance Assistant to join our central finance team, supporting the delivery of an efficient and compliant expenditure service across the organisation. This is a great opportunity for someone at an early stage in their finance career who wants to build practical experience while developing their skills through an apprenticeship pathway.

Working closely with the Purchase and Sales Ledger Team Leader and the Financial Controller, you will play a key role in ensuring that financial transactions are processed accurately and on time. You will be involved in maintaining the purchase ledger, processing invoices and payments, and supporting the wider finance function to meet monthly deadlines and reporting requirements.

In this role, you will be responsible for processing expenditure invoices and purchase orders, ensuring that all transactions are correctly coded and authorised, and maintaining accurate records within the finance system. You will support the preparation of payment runs, reconcile supplier statements, and resolve queries with colleagues and external suppliers. You will also contribute to month-end processes, including assisting with reconciliations, accruals, and reporting, and provide support during audit and year-end activity.

Alongside this, you will be expected to provide a responsive and professional service to internal stakeholders, helping to ensure that finance processes run smoothly and queries are handled promptly. There will be opportunities to contribute to improving processes and systems within the team and to develop your understanding of financial controls and compliance in a multi-entity environment.

We are looking for someone who is organised, accurate and able to manage their own workload effectively. You will have a good standard of general education, including maths, and be comfortable using IT systems such as Excel and finance software. Some experience in a finance or administration setting would be helpful, but just as important is a willingness to learn, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate clearly with a range of people.

This role offers the chance to gain valuable hands-on experience within a busy finance team while working towards a recognised qualification. You will be supported to develop your skills and build a solid foundation for a career in finance.

About Us

The College

London South East Colleges (LSEC) is one of London’s largest and most successful further education providers, with seven campuses across Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lambeth and around 1,000 staff. Each year, we support more than 13,000 students through a wide portfolio of vocational courses, apprenticeships and other programmes that are closely aligned to employer and industry need.

What brings people to work here, and keeps them here, is the sense of purpose. We exist to change lives through learning, and that ambition runs through everything we do. Our staff work with learners from all backgrounds, many of whom face significant barriers, and play a direct role in improving social mobility and life chances across south east London and beyond.

We are committed to developing our people. This includes high-quality professional development, leadership and management training, and clear opportunities for progression across the College and the wider Group. We encourage colleagues to develop their skills, share expertise and build long-term careers with us, supported by a culture that values collaboration, professionalism and continuous improvement.

We invest heavily in our learning environments, with modern facilities and strong partnerships with employers, universities and local communities. This enables our staff to focus on what matters most: delivering high-quality education and training that equips learners with the skills, confidence and resilience to succeed in work and in life.

LSEC is part of the Elevare Civic Education Group, which also sponsors London South East Academies Trust. The Trust is a growing and successful Multi-Academy Trust, currently comprising mainstream, special and alternative provision schools across Bromley, Bexley, Surrey, Sussex and Lambeth. This gives colleagues the opportunity to work within a genuinely joined-up education system, spanning schools, colleges and higher education.

The Group has also recently established the Elevare Education Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and families across the region through targeted programmes and practical support. This reflects our wider civic mission and commitment to making a meaningful difference beyond our campuses.

With a combined turnover of around £130m and clear ambitions for growth and improvement, this is an organisation that is forward-looking, values expertise and encourages people to contribute ideas and shape the future. There has rarely been a more interesting time to join us.

Benefits

We offer a highly competitive benefits package, including excellent annual leave and a generous pension through the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme depending on role.

Additional benefits include:

• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Annual season ticket loan
• Access to the Discounts for Teachers portal
• Free Wi-Fi access in over 10,000 locations worldwide through Eduroam
• Access to our on-site gym at Bromley campus and discount at other local gyms
• Discounts in our in-house restaurants and on hair and beauty treatments

Equal Opportunities

London South East Colleges is fully committed to equality of opportunity and to creating a diverse, inclusive and respectful working environment, free from discrimination and harassment. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, parental status or marital or partnership status.

As a Disability Confident Committed employer, we guarantee an interview to applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you through the application or interview process, please contact People Services at [email protected].

In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance, we carry out social media checks on shortlisted candidates to assess suitability for working with children and young people. Our full Safeguarding policy can be found here.

Because we work with children and vulnerable adults, all roles are exempt from Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check and, where relevant, a Children’s and/or Adult’s Barred List check. Any offer of employment may be withdrawn if these checks are unsatisfactory. Self-disclosure is required as part of the recruitment process, and failure to disclose relevant information or provide a DBS certificate is likely to result in withdrawal of an offer. Our DBS policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on request.

All appointments are also subject to verification of the right to work in the UK, in line with Home Office requirements. Original documentation will be required prior to commencement of employment.