Mentor Accountant

Whilst our partner operates across a variety of countries, India is one of the world’s most scenic places to visit. With a vast and varied landscape, there is never a shortage of things to do and the view of Mount Kangchenjunga will leave you breathless. In spite of the stunning natural beauty, there is a genuine issue with poverty and as a result education is not as accessible as it should be.

Our partner strives to eradicate this problem - they have recently become registered as an organisation in their own right, and the local staff consists of a very small team of one full time, and one part time in the office. They collaborate with volunteers and local people to build schools, promote inter-school activities, and train local teachers. The schools they build and support are very small scale and owned by local head teachers. Schools owned by the heads are much more affordable than the state schools in India, so our partner supports these, to enable local and impoverished children to receive a much more accessible education. Their work has changed lives and with your help they can continue to do so.

Currently they are struggling to make the change to an independently run organisation. The staff lack the accounting competence to operate the organisation alone, which is where your skills could help make an incredible difference to this organisation’s work. They have received some assistance around financial controls from a local accountant, who was very competent but expensive.

A consideration of theirs was to engage another local NGO to train the staff, but this partner organisation is unable to dedicate the necessary time to our partner organisation. As such they would therefore benefit hugely from an AfID volunteer, who could either support them exclusively, or alongside the occasional assistance from the partner NGO. The skills and knowledge that you take for granted could be the difference between a child receiving an education or continuing a life of poverty.

You will be the first AfID volunteer with our partner, and your role will be akin to undertaking a general assessment of their financial management and controls, identifying any weaknesses and recommending or implementing changes wherever you deem necessary. You will help ensure that the local staff are successfully managing the move from the parent organisation, to independent registration.

You will also be helping the local staff make sense of Indian legislation, whereby money being received from outside India must be carefully tracked and registered. Upon registration of this nature, an organisation is required to submit several reports to the government, which the local staff need help with. You will also be training the staff so that they understand income tax reporting, the use of spreadsheets and forecasting. If you feel that you have these skills and the right kind of dedication, we would love to hear from you. You can make the difference and play a pivotal role within this organisation as they make a positive impact in the lives of those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford an education.

This is a brilliant opportunity for those with a sense of adventure, if you want to help make a difference and enhance your own talents in the process, this is for you.

Well suited for the role? Please send your CV to volunteers@afid.org.uk or call +44(0) 208 741 7000

How to apply:

For details and to apply click here: http://www.afid.org.uk/site/page/426