School Leaver Review

Trainee Associate - FS Assurance - Asset Management Performing substantive testing Settin up planning documents Contacting clients with querries Responsibly for completing assigned work around a certain client on time and to a good standard before it goes to review. Ad-hoc tasks helping other team members out with various tasks.

Currently studying towards my CFAB - Certificate in Finance Accounting and Business before going on to study ACA. Currently passed 4/6 of the exams so 2 left to go. We study for the CFAB throught ICAEW using Kaplan Tutors I've learnt alot more about using Excel and many of its functions. General teamworking skills have significantly improved along with confidence and communication skills. I've learnt a lot about the asset management industry and specific procedures etc relating to my role.

We are given a good amount of work however balancing the study and training with work can be difficult. However my peer group are great and I've made some good friends. And generally everyone I've worked with has been nice. The training can be intense and there is a lot to learn sometimes in rather short periods of time. It's great working in London though and it has met my expectations.

Getting feedback from your team and managers is great and it makes you feel valued. There are also awards for outstanding work which can be gained. There is always a chance to make yourself known and stand out but it can be quite cometitive and sometime you get overlooked like in any large company but you are appreciated and you can tell. It's great when your hard work is recognised.

The induction training was good and great way to meet everyone who joined as we spent three weeks on a residential course together. The study can be intesnse and not spaced out very well so it can be challenging and intese so could be structured better. You're given a counsellor which is really good as you can discuss progress and issues with them. As we are the first year of properly implementing this programme you can tell there are a few kinks however generally it hase been smooth and enjoyable.

We study with Kaplan and they provide tutors to help us when we have college. Also as I failed on of my exams I was given one on one tutor session which was useful as he was able to go through some stuff I was struggling with. Some of the tutors however are better than others. Generally though it depends how hard you work, the more you put in the more you'll get out. Support is there to help but ultimately its up to you.

Managers on your jobs generally are very helpful and easy going which is really good, at least the managers I've had have been. We are given counsellors to help us with any issues and problems, we can just discuss anything with them and they help out with yearly reviews etc which is good. Also when we started we were given buddies so this was useful to help us settle in and get used to everything.

As I'm still living at home my living costs are quite small compared to if I was renting. I think if I was renting I would struggle more as I'd have a lot less disposable income as rent would probably take up about half my salary. But as I live at home it's fine. It costs me £160 a month for my train ticket which isn't too bad and my salary easily covers that and I have enough left to save and cover other expenses, car, mobile etc. Also costs incurred for business can easily be charged back and recovered.

There are a few social clubs and sports clubs you can join and be members of them. There are also social events in departments and the office which can be good fun, such as dodgeball, go karting, dancing etc. There are also the christmas parties which are fun. It depends how involved you want to be and there more you want to take part there are a lot of things you can do.

Yes

The people are great and you can make some good friends, its a great opportunity, espcially for school leavers

Be yourself, that is key. EY is based on the people they employ. If you're easy going, can communicate well and come across genuinely then you stand a good chance. The interviews are mainly based on your strengths and weeknesses and the experiences you have had and deciding whether you'll fit in to the organisation. It would have been good to have been told a bit more about the actual role itself.