Business Trainee Review

Job Title - Business Trainee (Assurance) As I work in the Assurance service line I spend the majority of my time working at the client's offices with minimal time spent at EY's own offices. It’s difficult to describe a typical weekday because, working in audit, they tend to vary quite a lot in audit and there doesn’t tend to be a fixed daily routine, but a typical week will including the following: o Have meetings with the client to discuss different aspects of the audit o Hold internal team meetings to distribute the work and provide an update on progress o The majority of my time is spent at the client’s offices o Request information and documentation from the client o Performing and documenting audit tests – primarily on Excel

In terms of qualifications, I have completed the Certificated in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB) with the ICAEW which consists of 6 modules in Business Law, Accounting, Assurance, Business and Finance, Management Information and Taxation. I will be starting my professional exams as part of the ACA qualification in October this year. I have also attended a number of internal training course, some of which are general courses relating to the practice of Assurance while others are more specific to the department and industry that I work in (Banking and Capital Markets). Courses on Assurance are useful as it has given me a better understanding of the fundamental principles and processes when conducting a financial audit. I also enjoy attending courses that specifically relate to the Banking and Capital Markets industry and this gives me a chance to keep up to date with current affairs relating to this sector and build up more bespoke knowledge that will be directly applicable to clients. I also feel I have developed and improved some of my core business skills such as communication, team-work and in particular time management. Since joining EY, it has been important for me to manage my time effectively in order to meet all the necessary deadlines.

I enjoy the EY School Leaver Programme and am happy with my choice not to go to University. The people at EY are great and I have really enjoyed building up a network of colleagues and friends through work. I have found that they are very supportive, particularly during my first year at the firm when I was adjusting to working life. The nature of Assurance means that all of the work is done as part of a team, which is something I've always enjoyed both in a work enviornment but also in a sporting environment. Overall, I do enjoy the School Leaver Programme but I have also found it hard work since I joined in 2012. I have found the professional exams challenging and I also struggled adapting to having a full-time job after joining directly from school.

Overall, I feel very well valued by EY and more generally I feel that EY are very good at recognising and rewarding good performance. I have been fortunate enough to receive some really positive feedback from managers that I have worked with and I was able to achieve a 4/5 rating for my first year. In terms of my involvement, I have noticed a significant increase in the expectations and responsibilities I have been given in my second year on the programme, which is something that I enjoy and makes me feel valued and respected by my colleagues.

Overall, I think the programme is very well organised, however I feel that the structure could be communicated on a more timely basis to people on the programme. Upon joining, our peer group had an induction week which was a great opportunity to meet new people on the programme and EY made us feel very welcome. In terms of training, we have a structured programme of professional exams as part of the ACA qualification which means that we study at least 1/2 modules per year. I feel that in this case, the communication of our exam timetable could be more timely. While we are notified in advance, I would prefer to get a longer notice period which would make planning client bookings, holidays etc. more convenient. There is a strong support network in place at EY. Each new joiner is allocated a Counselling manager who is able to answer questions, provide support and offer advice. Counselling managers also assist with the year-end review process and I have found my manager to be exceptionally helpful in this regard.

So far, we have completed 6 modules as part of the CFAB qualification. We have been given a tutor in respect of 4 out of 6 of these exams. I have found the tutors to be very helpful in terms of explaining the content of the courses, especially as the majority of the people on the School Leaver Programme had no prior experience of Finance. The tutors gave their phone numbers and email addresses which was really useful as it allowed us to ask questions in the run-up to our exams. I found it far more difficult on the 2 modules for which we didn't have a tutor.

I receive regular support from EY. As mentioned above, we are allocated a Counselling Manager who is able to offer advice and answer questions as well as assist with the year-end review process. We have also established peer groups, where people in each yearly intake will discuss issues on a regular basis and any concerns are raised to senior members of the department.

My salary more than covers my living and travel costs. I am also pleased that my salary will increase each year over the course of the programme.

There are a number of opportunities outside of the work environment, in particular social events organised by work. EY also regularly host networking events which are a good opportunity to build contacts and meet new people. We are also given 2 days per year for Corporate Social Responsibility which allows us to take part in volunteer work in the local community.

Yes

I think it provides a great opportunity to begin a career in finance as you are able to build up relevant work experience while studying towards a well-respected business qualification, in the ACA. Financially, it stands school leavers in better stead than if they attended University as you can start earning a competitive salary from day 1 and avoid the financial burden associated with University debts.

In the past year, EY have uploaded various videos to YouTube which provide details of the application process, in an attempt to make it as transparent as possible. I would advise all applicats to read this material as it provides a really useful insight into the process and also includes tips and advice. I would encourage people to show their enthusiasm/interest in the application because having a positive attitude and a willingness to learn is something that will really impress during the onboarding process. Most importantly, I would advise people not to panic or get nervous (if possible!) especially at the interview stage and to remembers that EY are not looking to 'catch you out!'