How to kickstart your career in payroll
WANT work where you’ll never be out of a job? Then put your money on a Payroll position.
This vital HR function is essential to every company and oversees staff salaries, attendance and tax issues.
Jobs range from entry-level Payroll Administrators and Assistants to Head of Payroll and even specialists Payroll Accountants.
With an average salary of £41,000, you’ll be well paid yourself, so here’s how to cash in and climb the career ladder.
How do I get into a payroll position?
There are four main routes to entry: a college course, an apprenticeship, applying directly to a company or taking a specialist course run by a professional body.
Most roles will ask for qualifications including Foundation Certificate in Bookkeeping, Level 1 Certificate in Payroll or Level 1 or 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping.
You could also do a T Level in Accounting and then apply for trainee positions.
What skills do I need?
For starters, you’ll need to be good with figures and have a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
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You’ll most likely be working as part of a team so communication skills and being a team player helps too. Looking to advance your career? Then work on your management potential.
Most employers will also seek our staff who can thrive in fast-paced environments and adapt to a .
What will I be expected to do?
Payroll goes far beyond simply paying wages.
Your job may involve recording work hours, calculating tax, liaising with HR, remittance to HMRC, and delivering payslips plus handling queries from your firm’s employees or outside companies such as mortgage providers for when staff apply for new financial products.
Where can I find out more? Take a look at the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals which is an excellent resource for starting out in your career. See
Ready to Pay-roll with it? Here are the Sun Jobs picks of the week.
Payroll Administrator, Guidant Global, London
Guide yourself into the perfect payroll first job with Guidant Global.
The Job: Guidant Global has an opening for a to work on a hybrid basis, with one day a week in London or Aylesbury.
What You’ll Do: You will be the first point of contact for all payroll workers, ensuring they are accurately set up on the Guidant Global systems.
You'll create and update records to high levels of accuracy; check worker compliance documents, and work across a variety of systems.
You’ll Need: Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a sound knowledge of Microsoft Office are required. Previous administration and customer service experience would be ideal.
Apply Now: See further details of this role, along with other opportunities at , here.
Payroll Accountant, Tesla, London
International experience? Then this electrifying role with Tesla could be for you.
The Job: Tesla is hiring a to manage monthly payroll processing and ensure the company complies with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and country-specific requirements.
What You’ll Do: This role involves managing and controlling data to Tesla’s external service provider, and ensuring all employee and related tax documents and incidents are processed in an accurate and timely manner.
You’ll Need: Multi-country payroll experience (in Europe), along with strong accounting knowledge and experience in a similar position are essential.
Great attention to detail and strong analytical and numerical skills are also required.
Apply Now: For more on this role, and more vacancies shared by , click here.
Payroll Analyst, TikTok, London
Is this the coolest job in Payroll? The TikTok job has got the lot!
The Job: TikTok is recruiting a to work at its London offices.
What You’ll Do: You’ll support TikTok’s EMEA team, focusing on Europe, by managing and improving payroll operations, managing payroll vendors, developing relationships with local authorities; and partnering with the HR team to upgrade the employee experience.
You’ll Need: A Bachelor’s degree in a related field, knowledge of payroll and tax operations and issues across multiple European countries and a minimum of three years’ in-house payroll operation experience are required.
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Apply Now: Fill out your application for this role here, and check out further vacancies at .
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