Assistant Executive (Third Year School Leaver) Review

My day to day role involves performing standard Audit Substantive Testing for Oil & Gas clients in Aberdeen.

I'm currently studying towards being a Chartered Accountant through ICAS

I find the programme highly challenging, but rewarding at the same time. I hadn't appreciated the long hours and graft required. However, the learning curve is incredibly steep.

I find the work I do on 'None-audit' work, such as recruitment highly rewarded. I do feel that sometimes our role is a thankless job. It really does depend on your manager, as some are more grateful of overtime and hard graft than others.

I feel the programme is semi-well organised. The year above me who were the first year of the national programme have faced uncertainty every step of the way, however we tend to follow to structure that has been decided for them. One thing I do like however is EY do take your circumstances into account and I've followed a slightly different exam diet to my colleagues, which has worked better for me.

I feel that the way ICAS deliver their programmes sometimes challenging. There's an online delivery tool called CABLE which dependant on the person who has recorded the 'webinar', can be hit or miss. More practice questions would also not go a miss.

I do feel supported by the firm, but I feel the expectations are sometimes unreasonable. I feel some more support around studying for exams for School Leavers would be beneficial. At a younger age, we don't have necessarily understand the revision techniques that work best for compared to Graduates who have had time to explore approaches at university.

I feel that the salary doesn't really match what is expected from you. For someone classified as a Senior (School Leaver in their third year), you end up taking on comparable tasks to a PQ Executive (graduate in their third year) due to the experience you've gained on your clients, but don't get paid anything near comparable. I find this insulting, as my wage is comparable to a Graduate who has just started at EY with no experience or exams under their belt.

I find due to the size of the office, this is something lacking. There's the occasional Leaving Night and the Charity Committee, but nothing major.

Yes

I would recommend EY to a friend, but potentially not the School Leaver programme. I feel that although it's the quickest route to CA, it is by far the more challenging when compared to the Graduate route.

Consider your commitment to work before applying. The hours can be long, and there are easier routes to becoming a CA such as applying for a smaller firm. However, having EY on your CV however is impressive and will make you stand out.