Audit Senior Review

Job title - Audit Senior Daily tasks - various stages of the audit; Planning - preliminary assessment of the client, understanding of the processes, planning meetings with client. Execution - testing of actual account balances by way of verification of the amounts recorded. Conclusion - wrap up stages, analytical reviews on accounts. Internal interactions - with managers and senior managers, in addition to guiding staff External interactions - with head of finances, financial controller, business accountant of the client. Responsibilities - reporting to managers and senior managers and being accountable for staff work Projects - listed and non listed large clients.

Qualifications - Will be fully ACA qualified by next year (currently Part Qual) Internal training - annual training events by EY Personal and professional skills - better interpersonal skills and learning at a top level of how a business and its finances operate.

Work - repetitive, boring, sometimes interesting depending on the client. Team - most teams are nice, however some are very inconsiderate of your time and do not let you go at a reasonable time despite personal and/or exam commitments. Company culture - Bureaucratic. Although there is an emphasis on people from the top, this is not effectively implemented by actual managers in day to day job. How well the programme met my expectations - I had no expectations coming in. However, despite a lot of negative I have learnt a lot of essential life and professional skills. Do I enjoy it - not anymore. 3-4 years is more than enough.

Appreciation from manager - nobody appreciates your age here, everyone is equal (except for pay). By your third year stage managers expect you to be running the audit, without having any consideration that conventional graduates who finish 3 years are firstly much older, and secondly have no exam commitments. This has been emphasised many times by myself and my peer group with no positive responses. Internal recognition - exam training at EY have no idea what they are doing and have not treated us in the way we deserve. One of many examples - We have been asking them if they would please let us accelerate our exams as we only have 3 left from the end of the third year, this would allow us to have the 5th year from exams and we could concentrate on work and use holidays for actual holidays (instead of exam revision). However, after many months (1.5years), they still have not responded. Instead, 2 weeks ago they sent an email telling us we can do the exams now if we please. Be it noted that me like many others have a) client commitments we can not be easily let off, b) holidays already booked which are very difficult to get in the first place and then moving them and c) plans already made which have been paid for. For this reason hardly anyone (except 3 people) have decided to it. I find this very difficult to understand why it took them so long to decide and then they tell us at the end moment. Overall, I feel we have not been valued. However, examples of the above feedback have been communicated and I hope that they make the programme better for the below years.

In terms of exams, the programme is in shambles. See above for example. In terms of work training, they have not tailored our programme instead just dumped us in with the rest.

EY Exam training are of no proper support. However, although not with me, they are helpful sometimes in that if you are not ready for an exam they are willing to defer for you.

Personally, my counsellor who is suppose to be the mentor from your start date and is usually in your dept as a manager or above, has not provided any appropriate support. I am currently in process of trying to change.

Personally, I am satisfied with the pay, despite doing a fully qualified persons job and being paid 15k less.

Yes, many different societies to join.

Yes

Despite many of the negatives with my programme, I feel more than content with the opportunity to work for such an organisation and I feel that if the above changes are made, and I hope they are, then it will be great.

I have helped out a number of people applying to EY, and always provide advice to be honest and make sure your attitude and work ethic is right.