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SAICA Articles at VAT IT 

VAT IT's SAICA Articles programme has been deemed the entrepreneurial articles programme. Completing your SAICA articles at VAT IT has become synonymous with completing a practical MBA, whereby you'll get exposure to the cornerstones of business and develop the skills to build a business. VAT IT's programme gives SAICA trainees individualised attention, exciting rotation opportunities through a number of different businesses, and the self belief to carve a career as an entrepreneur or business leader.

Picture of Lane Richards a 2024 VAT IT SAICA Articles Traineee completing her accounting articles to become a CA(SA)
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SAICA trainees at VAT IT during their weekly briefing
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Businesses Started
By VAT IT Trainees

Old School

Renowned for their retro-style rugby jerseys, Old School was founded by a 2023 VAT IT TOPP Alumnus, Daneel Steinmann. During his time at VAT IT, Daneel was part of the founding team of Zee, a start-up within the TecEx Group. Zee aimed to enable growing e-commerce businesses to expand into new territories, and Daneel credits his time at Zee as crucial to his learnings in the world of sales and marketing.

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Johan Coetzer
Product Owner, WTax
Johan Coetzer, 2024 VAT IT SAICA Articles Alumni
Lane Richards
Commercial Transactions, TecEx
Lane Richards, 2024 VAT IT SAICA Articles Alumni

VAT IT's Entrepreneurial
SAICA Articles Programme

While there is a degree of structure in VAT IT's articles programme, no trainee’s journey looks exactly the same. Generally, SAICA trainees will get exposure to 4 broad pillars throughout their articles journey: Finance, Sales, Operations and Tech. But the journey is flexible, and depends largely on your own skills, interests and career goals. The intention is for you to spend periods of time in different rotations and businesses in the group, building on your skills and finding out what you are good at and enjoy doing.

More on the typical rotations & learning opportunities

Typical Rotations
as a VAT IT Trainee 

"Rotations" are often used in TOPP programmes to describe a period of learning or work within a particular area of the business. Your articles journey at a TOPP programmes will generally consist of a number of different rotations. Some programmes have set rotations that all trainees will experience, whereas the VAT IT programme is know for being tailored to the interest of the trainee and opportunities within the business at the time. This means that no two trainees will have the same articles experience. To give you a better idea of what articles looks like at VAT IT, we've highlighted a number of rotations trainees have undergone.

Business Building

Being an entrepreneurial programme, the ultimate goal is to be involved in new opportunities and businesses. There have been multiple new start ups within the group that trainees have been involved with - Send IT Freight, Zee, and MyPeople, to name a few. Under the guidance of the CEOs, trainees are entrusted to run the business as a stand-alone unit, handling the accounting, operations, sales, marketing and system development. This an entrepreneur's dream rotation.

Minderd Spoelstra,
Third Year VAT IT Trainee

Getting to be a part of building Send IT was the most insane experience! From building out the finance procedures to establishing our standard operating processes, I couldn't believe I had the opportunity to be running a business during my articles and learning under the guidance of the TecEx CEO.

Minderd Spoelstra, Third Year VAT IT SAICA Articles Trainee

VAT IT
Group & Industry Overview

There are various businesses in the VAT IT group. Most of the businesses operate in the  FinTech and RegTech industry. Each business in the group has various departments through which you can rotate. During the 3-year articles journey, trainees can get exposure to a number of these businesses.

TecEx
TecEx provides a specialised Import and compliance service, giving tech companies access to 200+ destinations globally without the legal or financial risk.
TecEx provides a specialised Import and compliance service, giving tech companies access to 200+ destinations globally without the legal or financial risk.
As world leaders in withholding tax recovery services, WTax navigates the complex world of cross border investment tax on behalf of their clients.
WTax
As world leaders in withholding tax recovery services, WTax navigates the complex world of cross border investment tax on behalf of their clients.

VAT IT SAICA Trainees' Experience

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Don’t take our word for it. Find out what VAT IT SAICA trainees have had to say about their time with VAT IT.

VAT IT SAICA Trainees Feedback

The VAT IT way is all about creating room for greatness, by putting the right person in the right role and simply getting out of their way.

VAT IT has a social committee and fund that allows for a monthly social event. This is run by the trainees, to encourage team building, and the events have ranged from lawn bowls to a casino night.

Social Committee

While some of the VAT IT trainees have had the opportunity of working in Mauritius and the UK for extended periods, others have been privileged to travel to places like Singapore, Las Vegas and New York.

Travel Opportunities

VAT IT SAICA Trainee
Learning & Growth Opportunities

Over and above SAICA-related training (such as induction training and board courses), VAT IT also provide upskilling opportunities throughout your articles. During a weekly meeting dedicated to the learning and development of the CA trainees, there is the opportunity for talks on industry-relevant topics, such as economics, the South African business landscape, presentations by legal experts, ethics workshops, financial planning and CSI projects.   

 

Trainees are also provided with business-specific and role-specific training throughout articles. VAT IT encourages you to adopt a spirit of lifelong learning, and this is supported over your articles period. You are provided with the tools to meet your career growth ambitions

Access to Courses & Learning Tools

All trainees are given complimentary access to courses through the CFI institution, receive training on excel with the Efficient Excel course, and are welcome to request adhoc Udemy courses that would enable them to perform better in their current role.

VAT IT SAICA Articles
Offices 

VAT IT's SAICA Articles main operation centre is based in Johannesburg, in Melrose Arch. However, whether it be a rotation in Mauritius or a work trip, the VAT IT trainees are never short of an opportunity to travel.

VAT IT's SAICA Articles programme main location,Melrose Arch is a precinct – its own little town in the heart of Joburg’s suburbs. Melrose Arch consists of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, luxurious boutiques.
Melrose Arch

Melrose Arch is a precinct – its own little town in the heart of Joburg’s suburbs. Melrose Arch consists of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, luxurious boutiques.

One of the perks of the VAT IT’s CA programme is that trainees have the option to do a rotation in the Mauritius office, as the heart of group finance function is based there.
Mauritius

One of the perks of the VAT IT’s CA programme is that trainees have the opportunity to do a rotation in the Mauritius office, as the heart of group finance function is based there.

In the passed, two VAT IT trainees have completed their articles from the London branch. This is not something ordinarily offered though.
London

In the past, two trainees have completed their articles from the London branch.

Start your SAICA Articles at VAT IT

Thank you. We'll be in touch shortly.

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Two TOPP article clerks at VAT IT, working to achieve their required SAICA competencies and qualify as a CA(SA)
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Learn about business by doing, VAT IT SAICA Articles programme.png
VAT IT's SAICA Articles programme main location,Melrose Arch is a precinct – its own little town in the heart of Joburg’s suburbs. Melrose Arch consists of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, luxurious boutiques.
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