Academic Articles

The SAICA allows a limited number of trainee accountants to follow the Academic Traineeship Program (ATP). The program involves trainee accountants spending their first year of their traineeship at a SAICA-accredited university. 

The ATP offers trainee accountants the opportunity to spend their first traineeship year in a stimulating academic environment, inter alia with the goal of making them interested in pursuing an academic career in future.  A number of the staff members of the School of Accountancy were as a matter of fact former academic trainee accountants. This program also strengthens the staff corps of the School, since trainee accountants are exposed to similar tasks as junior lecturers.

Academic trainee accountants enjoy as much exposure as possible to the following activities: 

•              Lecturing;

•              Tutorials;

•              Preparation of teaching material;

•              Preparing and grading of assessments;

•              Research

For more information on the ATP, please refer to this

Also refer to SAICA's website ​

Academic trainees are appointed from 1 February to 31 December during their first year of SAICA articles.

Trainees assist with teaching, student consultations, and other academic responsibilities in one or more of the subject areas, including Taxation, Financial Accounting, Auditing, Management Accounting, and Digital- and Leadership Acumen).

Work hours are from 08:30 to 16:00, or 09:00 to 16:30, and trainees will mostly be required to work from the office. However, in periods where trainees are giving fewer classes, they will be able to work from home up to 3 days a week.

Trainees are entitled to 13.75 annual leave during the year, 6.5 of which must be taken during December. Leave is not required for the period of university closure (from 12:00 on 24 December).

Academic trainees' SAICA competencies will be reviewed throughout the year.

The ATP provides you with the opportunity to develop verbal public communication skills, which are crucial for business professionals.   It also stimulates a deeper technical knowledge of Accounting and related fields of study, because you need to understand a subject matter very well to explain it to someone else.  It also creates the opportunity for a first-hand experience of the academia as a possible future career.  Lastly, it provides you with the opportunity to further your studies and/or do research in a stimulating environment.​

Presenting classes

Clerks present the ILP (Individual Learning and Support programme) classes of the BAccHons/ PGDA  group in English and Afrikaans. These classes take place directly after the daily lectures presented to the BAccHons group. During these classes, a tutorial question is answered by the student, under the guidance and supervision of the academic clerk. 

Some of the clerks present the undergraduate ILP-classes of certain modules.  

Some clerks also present the mainstream classes in certain modules.

There is also a system of tutorials/ assignment classes in certain subjects (undergraduate and postgraduate), during which a class works through a question that is provided by the relevant lecturer.  The clerks assist the lecturer with answering students' questions during these classes.
The above-mentioned provide academic clerks with a wide exposure to and experience in lecturing, tutorials and the preparation of teaching material. These are all academic core functions, but are also very valuable in any working environment.   

'Hot Seat'
The Hot Seat is an aid to students, which was created by the School of Accountancy a few years ago. It involves the opportunity for students (undergraduate and postgraduate) to come to the academic clerks if they are experiencing any problems with certain parts of the work. The clerk then explains the principals the students are struggling with in order to help the students with the questions they are having difficulty with.  This happens on an individual basis and, since clerks were only recently students themselves, students sometimes feel more comfortable asking them questions (versus asking the lecturer questions).
Assigning a subject field (Taxation, Financial Accounting, Auditing and Management Accounting) to each clerk for this purpose, provides clerks with the opportunity to specialise in a certain subject field.  It also ensures that students get the best assistance, since the clerk is completely familiar with the subjects in that specific subject field, as opposed to having a wide, more superficial knowledge on each subject.
The Hot Seat is also actively marketed to students.  A good many students use this option regularly and the feedback we receive from students is very positive.
Each clerk mans the Hot Seat for his/her subject field for six hours per week, spread over the days of the week (similar to lecturer consultation hours).

Reviewing question papers
Clerks get review and other assessment experience through reviewing the BAccHons class and term tests, as well as parts of the undergraduate examination papers during the June test series and the November and December exams.  They also administrate the BAccHons tests and handle test queries from students.

Administrative tasks
The clerks assigned to each subject field enjoy exposure to certain administrative tasks that are entrusted to him/her by the relevant Division Head. 
 




Current BAccHons/PGDA students are eligible to apply for the Academic Traineeship Programme (ATP) once their June results are available.

  1. Familiarise yourself with the rule​s for the ATP (awaiting new version from SAICA)
  2. Contact your training office and obtain their permission to apply to the programme.

*Per SAICA's rules, candidates must have entered into a training contract with an accredited training office (with the exception of Thuthuka students who are not yet allocated to specific offices) to be eligible to participate in the ATP. Candidates (who are not Thuthuka students) who wish to apply for the 2024 ATP should therefore liaise with their training officers and communicate their interest in the programme to determine whether the training office would agree to release the candidate for a year to participate in the ATP.

Thuthuka students can proceed directly to step 3.

  1. Applications close at the end of the first week of August​, and require the following to be submitted to Tess Lubbe ([email protected]) in one email:
     

    • Completed the Application form (pages 1 - 3) in Microsoft Word only
    • Copy of ID or passport if not a SA citizen
    • CV and motivation for why you want to and should be an academic trainee
    • Copy of Matric Certificate
    • Complete university academic transcript + relevant degree certificates
    • An email from your training office (audit firm where you are signed) confirming they will allow you to participate in the ATP (refer point 2)
       

Interviews are usually scheduled toward the end of August.

Additional information

For additional information on an academic traineeship, please contact the School of Accountancy at 021-808 3428, or Mrs Tess Lubbe at 021-808 3683 or email: [email protected]​

 

Previous year's trainees had the following to say about their experiences as academic trainee accountants at the School of Accountancy: 

Hamman Schoonwinkel Accountancy SA – October 2023 article ​

Karl-Hans Oellrich Aptihire – January 2024 article 

Neil de Kock Accountancy SA – May 2024 article​ 

Alwyn Visser​ “I still feel this was the best year of my life. I ​know many students are afraid that they will "fall behind" with articles if they do academic articles. I felt the year helped me to understand technical concepts better. It is also a good way to transition from being a student into being an adult as you are treated as a peer from day 1 by other staff members. Lecturing and working alongside people who were your lecturers just the year before goes a very long way into developing pervasive skills and maturity. I also do not feel that I have missed out on any experience during articles since a great deal of the work of a trainee in practice is repetitive in nature and I was exposed to everything in the two years of articles that I had after academic articles. I do feel that the skills I had obtained during academic articles often helped me to "hold my own" better with clients than other trainees who went straight to practice after their studies". 

Petra Claassen “Participating in SAICA's Academic Traineeship Programme (ATP) is the best career choice I have made thus far. I would choose to do it again a thousand times over. The ATP provides academic trainees with the opportunity to develop professional and technical skills over and above those that are developed as part of the normal training programme. Although the ATP opens the door to pursuing an academic career, the skills that are developed in this programme are also useful if the trainee later chooses to follow a different career path". 

Anet Knoetze “I absolutely loved my year as AT. You learn a different skillset and are given the opportunity to take complete responsibility for tasks. I also discovered something I previously never thought I would enjoy". 

Len Steenkamp “I completed my Academic Traineeship in 1999 at Stellenbosch University. Being an academic trainee changed my perspective on many dimensions of life. I learned more about myself in a very short period than I probably would have otherwise. Part of that was due to the quick change in roles you make as academic trainee – going from being taught by lecturers to joining those same lecturers as colleagues was quite a ride! Working as an academic trainee is completely different from working as a audit trainee. Not better or worse, just different. For me personally, it did not hold me back in my audit trainee career and I adjusted quickly to the audit environment. I loved every moment of being an academic trainee. I loved teaching and engaging with students, which confirmed my hopes of becoming a lecturer – which I then eventually achieved. Being an academic trainee is not for everybody, but if I had to choose again whether to do it, I would say “Yes" in a heartbeat." 

Tess Lubbe “The ATP changed the entire course of my career. It confirmed a suspicion I had that I may want to teach one day, allowed me to gain two different work experiences during my articles, built up my confidence, and gave me an understanding of what it may be like to be an academic.  I will be forever grateful that I took advantage of this opportunity that led me to the fun, rewarding, and balanced work life I now enjoy." 

Armand Bruwer “The ATP provides one with a strong theoretical and social platform to start the remainder of your training contract, it builds interpersonal skills that sets you apart and gives you the confidence and know-how to lead a team, a class or a project." 

Remerta Basson “I was allocated to the Auditing module during my academic traineeship. The experience certainly enhanced my understanding of auditing fundamentals and increased my proficiency as an auditor. It also made the decision to become an academic easier as I had a better idea of what working as a lecturer entails." 

Gretha Steenkamp “I thoroughly enjoyed my year as an academic trainee at the School of Accountancy! It exposed me to lecturing, student consultations as well as marking - and it turned out that I loved all of these. After the year as an academic trainee, I was certain that I wanted to make lecturing my profession". 

Adrian Samuels “The ATP broadens the career options post articles. I highly recommend the ATP to prospective junior lecturers". 

Corinna Kirsten “An excellent opportunity to learn more about and experience academia, especially if you are considering going this route sometime later on in your career". 

Professor Pieter Von Wielligh “Academic traineeship is a wonderful opportunity to experience the world of academia first-hand. It provides many opportunities to develop skills such as public speaking, assessment, mentoring, time management and self-management. It is especially useful if you are considering the possibility of an academic career, but certainly not limited to such people". 

Amber De Laan “Being an Academic trainee is a great way to start your career. It is immensely fulfilling to work with people and aid in their growth and development. Make the most of the year by getting involved in the programs of the SOA and of course enjoy it".

Orlando Van Schalkwyk “If you're passionate about teaching, Academic Articles will feel like a Dream- that's how much you'll enjoy it:)". 

Carli Smit "I was an Academic Trainee for Management Accounting at Stellenbosch University during 2016. I decided to pursue the academic traineeship as a way to explore whether I would enjoy being a lecturer. The fact that I would miss out on one year of practical experience at an audit firm was a bit of a concern for me, but I reasoned that I could always build up further practical experience after the completion of my articles (e.g., by staying on as an audit manager). Even though I suspected that I would enjoy lecturing, I was surprised at how much I learned about myself during the academic traineeship year. I discovered that I really enjoyed interacting with students, whether one-on-one during consultations or in lectures. I also really enjoyed getting to know the lecturers as colleagues and obtaining guidance from them, both in terms of academic content and “soft skills" (such as presentation skills and time management). Another unexpected benefit was the opportunity to really delve deep into the content that I was teaching. At the end of the year, I had a much deeper understanding of the work compared to how I understood it during my studies. The university is an incredibly supportive place to start your career, even if you do not ultimately become an academic. I've made life-long friends in the process. Although the first six months of my audit articles was a big adjustment, I quickly “caught up" with the other audit trainees and it was clear that the Academic Traineeship gave me a technical advantage in terms of my deeper understanding of the theoretical content. Something that I'd like to see in the programme going forward is more diversity in terms of race, sexual orientation, and disability – I believe that the demographic of our trainees should be an accurate reflection of the South African demographic. Being an Academic Trainee was one of the best career decisions that I've made – I'd do it all over again." 

Anoniem Na die voltooiing van my drie jaar leerlingrekenmeesterskap het ek nou die geleentheid om vir ʼn Groot vier firma oorsee te gaan werk. Die geleentheid sou nie moontlik gewees het, sonder my ondervinding as akademiese klerk by die Skool vir Rekeningkunde nie. Ek wil graag vir Prof. von Wielligh, en die fakulteit, dankie sê vir die geleentheid en heelwaarskynlik die beste jaar van my klerkskap loopbaan. Die ondervinding wat ek opgedoen het tydens die akademiese klerkskap is ongelooflik waardevol en het soveel deure oopgemaak.  Ek beveel gereeld die akademiese klerkskap jaar aan vir vriende en kennisse wat nog besig is met hulle studies!