A class apart for a working boy

In the first of a three-part series, Tim Mickleburgh explains why working-class accountants remain outliers in an elite occupation.

Hello PQ readers! My name is Tim and I’m a 23-year-old CIMA part qualified accountant. You may recognise me as PQ magazine’s ‘Accountancy Graduate of the Year 2024’, or as a finalist for ‘PQ of the Year 2025’.

This the first instalment of a three-part series of articles I have written to put a spotlight on the lack of working-class representation in the finance profession. I thought I’d kick off the series by sharing my own experience of what it’s like to be an outlier in an elite occupation.

I come from a working-class background. No one in my family went to college or university; my parents both had working-class jobs. I went to state school, where I received free school meals and textbooks because of our low household income.

In 2020, I was one of 3% of A-level students in England to have my provisional results downgraded by two grades – from A*A*A to BBC – on the basis of my college under-performing. I wouldn’t have met the entry requirements for my dream university if this hadn’t been reverted.

I felt like a fish out of water when I first stepped into the world of finance – and I still do. Research by the Bridge Group found that more than half of finance professionals come from higher socio-economic backgrounds, and four in 10 attended fee-paying or selective schools.

Most of the people around me speak eloquently, with interactions characterised by small talk and pleasantries. I found myself forcing a more received pronunciation during job interviews – in case recruiters were put off by my indistinct regional accent.

Everyone dresses smart, too. I felt like an outlier at assessment centres, where I was often the only candidate not wearing a suit and tie. I didn’t own my first suit until my university graduation. The next time I wore that suit was for my first day at work – because I felt compelled to ‘look the part’.

Professionals from working-class backgrounds don’t experience a natural sense of fit in professional environments; something which I find gets overlooked by our more affluent peers. We find ourselves assimilating to the higher socio-economic organisational culture in a bid to fit in; efforts which can distract from job performance and cause feelings of exclusion, a lack of belonging, and exhaustion.

PQ Magazine’s 2024 awards ceremony was my first time attending a fancy event. My mum came with me, and again in 2025. On both occasions, she was asked by other attendees about the line of accounting she works in, or the organisation she works for – their assumption that accounting ran in the family goes a long way in indicating the occupation’s high rate of nepotism.

In next month’s issue, I will discuss the barriers to entry and progression that are inhibiting the success of finance professionals from working-class backgrounds and causing the occupation to be dominated by those from professional backgrounds.