Submitted by Alexandra DeVincenzo, Blake Gough and Lindsay Kay – Senior Staff Accountants

One of the best parts of working at GSE is the firm culture. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. The partners are always interested in hearing from staff, whether it’s a client specific question or chatting about weekend plans.

Everyone works as a team to help each other develop both technical and soft skills. Asking questions is encouraged, especially at the beginning of your career or if you’re working on something new or complex. We are always bouncing ideas off each other to reach the best solution for a problem.

Our firm culture is like a family. The partners care about how staff are doing, both professionally and personally. They encourage everyone to take time for their family and other personal commitments. To help build our family dynamic and office camaraderie, GSE’s social committee organizes a variety of social events and friendly competitions including:

• End of Tax Season Party
• Summer BBQ
• Golf Day (for ALL skill levels, including people who only golf once a year – at this event)
• Christmas Party

Another great thing about GSE is the support for our communities. Throughout the year, we raise money for local charities through our casual Fridays, we collect food and hygiene products for the local food banks in St. Thomas and Aylmer, and at Christmas we team up to sponsor a family in need through Christmas Care. Our firm also supports a wide variety of charitable organizations, including our local hospital, community foundations and conservation authority. We also support various arts programs and organizations that provide services to young people in need. It’s great to work for a firm that values community support.

We look forward to welcoming new team members that share our values of client service and complement our team dynamic at GSE!

5 Reasons to Work at GSE

1. Firm Environment
We place significant value in creating a welcoming atmosphere for our staff and clients. We emphasize a relationship building approach for our clients and reflect those same values internally. Our ‘open-door’ policy is indicative of the culture we’ve built where all partners and staff members are not only accessible but interested in your questions or insights. Throughout the year, our social committee organizes events such as our annual golf tournament and Christmas party, and some friendly competitions like step-count challenges, cook-offs, and baking competitions.

2. Professional Development
GSE takes pride in identifying as a training firm that supports the professional development of each staff member. We want to see you succeed. On a typical day you will interact with approachable colleagues to grow your technical knowledge, and throughout the year you can expect to partake in structured professional development courses. Our team dedicates time and resources to help you achieve your goals. We are proud to offer a place where there is room to grow and develop your career, as many of our long serving staff have done. Several partners can even trace their careers back to co-ops within the firm!

3. Career Support
When you join our firm, you’re joining a network of professional accountants offering their support to your success. As part of our professional development focus, we have implemented a ‘Buddy-Mentor’ program that pairs each staff member with someone in a more senior capacity. This program gives each staff member a go-to resource, and assists in setting, monitoring, and actively supporting professional goals. This includes mentoring our CPA students to a 100% success rate on the CFE/UFE over the past 5 years.

4. Work-Life Balance
Have you heard this phrase before? Our firm has been practicing this long before it became mainstream. GSE places a high value on staff satisfaction and on family. Flexible working hours allow each staff member to balance their workload and personal commitments and staff are encouraged to take the time needed to support their families and communities.

5. Variety of Work Experiences and Learning Opportunities
Our clients come from all walks of life. From local farmers, to small business owners, to large international organizations, you will be exposed to all types of client work. Our audit work is focused in the not-for-profit and municipal sectors. There are opportunities to work alongside our dedicated tax department to develop solutions to complex tax situations for both corporate and individual tax clients. This breadth of clientele keeps our staff engaged and develops their skills as well-rounded professionals.