Careers

Working in Birmingham

Despite the economic downturn, Britain's second city is full of opportunities for the ambitious PQ, writes Daniel Saunders of Michael Page Finance.

More canals than Venice, the Bullring shopping centre, a proud industrial heritage, Aston Villa challenging for the Premiership and Ozzy Osborne too – no wonder Birmingham is the envy of the UK and beyond! And when it comes to your career and sheer choice of job opportunities, Birmingham is a great place to be. As the UK's official second city it offers all of the attractions and facilities that you will find in the capital, but with several additional benefits.
While we cannot escape from the fact that we are in an economic downturn which is affecting the entire UK jobs market, Birmingham and the wider Midlands region has not been over reliant on the financial services sector, as is the case in the City. Instead, Birmingham boasts a diverse range of industry sectors, incorporating many blue chip brand names as well as a thriving SME market across professional services, retail, FMCG, manufacturing, utilities and hi-tech among others.
We've seen the automotive and financial services sectors contract recently and naturally there are fewer opportunities available than there have been in recent times, but here in the Midlands it's not all doom and gloom!
The diversity of industry sectors allows Birmingham to continue to offer exciting job opportunities for part and newly qualified accountants. We are also benefitting from a thriving public sector presence in the Midlands, with clients increasingly seeking commercially-focused accountants from an industry background.
In the world of private practice, the 'larger players' in the market have slowed down their recruitment, though some of the smaller firms continue their demand for talent. The corporate recovery market is getting busier and proving to be a popular choice for part and newly qualified accountants seeking a career within practice.
They don't call Birmingham 'the heart of England' for nothing. Being based here means you are able to consider many employment hotspots all within a short commute from each other. Worcester, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Solihull and West Bromwich are all within a 25-mile radius, and there are excellent transport links to the rest of the UK.
As a result this has encouraged many major international blue chip businesses to base themselves in the Midlands, and with some of the most new and impressive business parks in the country complementing the traditional city centre business districts.
Working in the Midlands also offers great earning potential with employers offering competitive salaries often combined with great benefits such as holiday purchase options, study packages and discounted gym memberships. I've included a Michael Page salary guide below to give you an idea of typical market rates.
So what are my predictions for 2009? Well for most of us this is unchartered territory as we face up to a UK job market offering fewer opportunities and an increasing competition for the best jobs. So you will really need to make every interview count. So it is more crucial than ever to have a clear idea of what you want from your next move and how best to sell yourself to your prospective employer. Interviewing for your dream job is daunting at the best of times, but even more so in the current market.
* Daniel Saunders, regional manager, Michael Page Finance – Birmingham

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