Audit Associate Review

My role involves reviewing, analysing and testing company accounts as part of the audit process that seeks to provide shareholders with assurance over whether a company's financial statements give a true and fair view of the company's performance. It could be anything from counting stock to matching invoices to transactions. It's often a cliché to say that no two days are alike - but that really the truth in this role.

Despite doing a chemistry degree and only starting this role six months ago, I have learnt a lot of technical skills involved in accounting, both through my job and my professional qualification studies. I have also strengthened my communication skills through having to interact with numerous different clients across a variety of industries.

Like every job, there are some difficult moments but overall this programme has been very enjoyable. All of my colleagues are extremely friendly and helpful, learning about accounting and audit is very interesting, and the prospects that this apprenticeship will open up are so exciting. I never dread going to work because people are always there to help and I seem to learn something new nearly every day.

With regards to the professional qualification, I think the structure is very effective. Though some may feel overwhelmed at doing 12 exams in the first year, I find it very exciting because I want to learn as much about accounting as possible so that I can apply it to my work and become an asset to the company. The only negative point I would make is that the first 3 months of the programme weren't very interesting. Apart from college, the majority of the time was spent shadowing others, which does get boring eventually. The job definitely picked up and got more exciting once I was able to start doing the work myself.

We receive a lot of support. We have plenty of paid study leave and every staff member is assigned a buddy and a counsellor, both of whom are more than willing to answer questions and give advice. The great thing about working in this job is that everybody around will have gone through the same type of training and studying, so everyone knows what you're going through. When I am working in audit teams, I never feel worried when it comes to asking questions because everybody just wants me to be the best version of myself.

As I mentioned before, we have plenty of paid study leave and the tutors that our employer arranges are always available to answer questions and provide support with exams. If anybody is finding work overwhelming and struggling to balance their job with exams, they can always speak up and management are more than willing to make compromises and allow you more time to study.

My qualification is very helpful in enabling me to perform better in my day-to-day role because in addition to it teaching me more about the technicalities of audit and assurance, it also helps me learn about the world of accounting and business management, which helps me to understand the way that my various different clients manage and report on their finances.

There are a number of sports teams at the office who meet and play weekly. Emails are regularly sent around to inform us of new sporting opportunities and volunteering initiatives that we can take part in. One improvement that I would suggest would be that the office could arrange more social events, especially for the new starters as I feel that this would be a great ice-breaker.

Yes

EY is a highly reputable company, you are paid to complete a globally-recognised qualification, and you get to work with a wide range of clients across different industries and of all different sizes and scales. The networking opportunities are indispensable and the completion of an apprenticeship at EY opens the door to some really fantastic opportunities in the world of accounting and finance.

Be yourself. It goes without saying that you need to be professional, polite and articulate when applying for jobs, but showing some of your true personality is what makes you stand out. People want to see what you are like as a real person - not a robot who has rehearsed and revised every standard interview question. Don't be afraid to talk about some of your exciting and unique life experiences. Demonstrating charisma will push you to the top.