The ACA Student Mentoring Programme has helped audit and accounts trainee Aimydj Elenda build his professional skills, as well as provide that extra bit of motivation to complete his studies.
Between the end of a year abroad in Washington DC and returning to the University of Exeter for his final studies, Aimydj Elenda had a chance meeting with Claire Davis, then Head of People at accountancy firm Haines Watts. She talked to him about how fulfilling an audit career can be. “I didn’t come from an accounting background, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but after hearing about what the ACA can do for people I thought ‘I’m open to it’. Here I am and I’ve never looked back,” Aimydj says.
Building relationships
Now an audit and accounts trainee at Cooper Parry, Aimydj is scheduled to qualify as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant in July 2026. “It’s been a quick turnaround. In July 2023, I graduated from university, then I joined Haines Watts the next month, and then Cooper Parry acquired Haines Watts the following month,” he says.
Two years into the role, Aimydj particularly enjoys the interaction he has with clients, which has increased alongside his seniority and responsibilities. “I’ve had the privilege of being on a lot of first year audits. Building relationships with clients, managers, partners, colleagues, and growing with them – that’s the best part for me.”
Balancing study and work can be a challenge. “You’ve got responsibilities at work and want to impress and do well, but you’ve also got to be strict and give yourself enough time to revise and study to be able to pass the ACA exams, as well as balancing that with your social life,” Aimydj says.
An external perspective
One thing that has helped Aimydj manage his time is the ACA student mentoring programme. The six-month virtual programme is open to any UK-based ACA students who have successfully completed at least two ACA exams and don’t already have access to a mentoring or coaching scheme.
Potential mentees sign up, outline their goals for the programme, and select the specific skills they want help with. They are then able to view the bios of the mentors that align with their desired skill set and select their favourite.
Responsibility for driving the mentoring relationship lies with the mentee, and they must take ownership of their personal growth. “I promised myself I would try to get as much out of the ACA qualification as possible, regarding work and connections outside of work too,” Aimydj says.
“I’ve got an amazing support system at Cooper Parry, the managers, my line manager and colleagues. They are amazing people. But I also wanted to have an external perspective from someone who has been a trainee and faced the pressures. Someone who has been there and done it. That’s what sold the mentoring programme to me.”
A support system
The format of the mentoring programme was driven by Aimydj. “I had an introductory meeting with my mentor, and I explained that it would be ideal for me if we had a catch up every six weeks, and in between I could message him if I wanted to schedule the catch up sooner,” he says.
Aimydj would meet his mentor over video call. “I would start off the meeting telling him what I wanted to speak about, whether it was stress at work, or becoming more senior, or balancing exams and work, just whatever it was about my current situation at the time.”
“He gave me some really helpful advice around managing exams and revision, particularly about balancing my time and making sure I also schedule in free time to avoid burnout,” Aimydj adds. One thing that really stuck with me was how he personally handles stress — he shared some practical strategies that I’ve been able to apply myself.
“We also spoke about building strong relationships at work. He encouraged me to take a proactive approach and not be afraid to speak to managers or ask questions when I need support. That really helped build my confidence early on.”
“One thing I have noticed working in audit is that it doesn’t stop. You can be very busy with work and then you suddenly have an exam. Then another audit. Then another exam.”
Aimydj’s mentor had experience as an audit manager early in his career too. “I would ask him questions about how he handled things when he was in the second year of working in audit and training, and things like that – it was about getting the external point of view,” Aimydj adds. “He was and is a support system for me.”
A big support bubble
For the mentors, there are huge benefits too. They build and develop their own skills by sharing their advice and knowledge. And they act as role models, inspiring future leaders and making a big difference to young professionals’ careers. “I don’t think mentors realise the significance of mentoring for mentees,” Aimydj says.
He made a point of telling his mentor how many exams he passed and how his level of seniority had risen in the time he’d been mentoring Aimydj: “Every six weeks when we had our catchups, I’d tell him that I was making good impressions based on the advice he was giving me. He could see the benefits of the advice he had given me play out.”
While mentors might think mentoring is “just having a chat”, it helps someone else develop in their skills and career significantly. “Future trainees benefit so much from hearing how people who have been there did it.,” he adds.
“One thing I realised is that I don’t have a lot of friends doing the ACA qualification so they don’t always understand that I can’t come out when I have an exam coming up. But ICAEW is one big network, and the mentoring programme is like a big support bubble. I’d recommend it to all trainees and potential mentors as well.”
Learn more about ICAEW’s student mentoring programme.