Business Trainee Review

I am a business trainee in the Corporate Finance - Restructuring department at EY. My day to day tasks include working on challenging client project/s, completing my role as a school leaver ambassador and interracting with various colleagues. I interract with numerous colleagues within the department. A large portion of my time is taken up by a role on a cross jurisdictional LER project. I get involved in lots of different tasks surrounding the project.

I have already passed my accounting and assurance exams for a CFAB qualification that I am taking. I will have obtained my CFAB qualification by January 2015. I have attended internal training courses such as TAS Fundamentals and Insolvency - getting started. My organisational and excel skills have improved significantly in my first year at EY. I have also leant about various types of formal insolvency. I also feel I have learnt to conduct myself in a more professional manner in and outside of work.

I have enjoyed my time at EY. I have built up a good relationship with colleagues in the office. The work is challenging but rewarding. There is a very good company culture at EY. The company has a fantastic support network for its new school leavers e.g. buddies and counsellors which really hepls you settle in.

I feel that my managers have always been good at offering encouragement and will always thank me for the work I do. It's good to be appreciated by your seniors. The project I have predominantly been working on has been a challenging project. I feel that the appreciation from my seniors has made me feel valued at EY. The team received internal recognition and were able to go on a team lunch to celebrate the hard work that we had put in.

I felt the induction event was slick, well run and enjoyable. The training we have received in work has been good. As mentioned earlier I feel the support network at EY is very good (counsellors, buddies etc) - enabling you to voice any problems that you may have. Studying around work commitments is tough but achievable. I feel the programme is well organisied and that there are clear guidlines/ procedures that can be followed.

My tutors at Kaplan were helpful and offered one to one advice when they could, but struggled slightly as there were too many people in our class.

My counsellor/ mentor has always been happy ot help me with any problems or queries I may have. My managers have been flexible with my working style and have also been very supportive. Help internally is always easy to find so overall I would say the support I receive from my fellow EY colleagues has been excellent.

I feel the salary is competitive for a first year school leaver. To be earning over £20000 at the age of 18 is very good. I still live at home and chose to travel into the London office from cambridgeshire. The travel costs are substantial but I would rather stay at home than rent in London (which I think would be more expensive than my travel costs). I would like to say I have a fairly comfortable lifestyle with the salary I earn.

I am aware of lots of social activities going on outside of work such as sports teams and team socials. We are offered extra tuition in subjects such as foreign languages which is fantastic. I am going to join the EY rugby team as I was a keen rugby player prior to joining the firm - this club will help me sustain a good work/life balance along with keeping me fit.

Yes

EY is a company that is going places - you only have to look at Vision 2020 to understand that. It is a global firm that offers employees fantastic career prospects (not just a dead end job). To work for a company as prestigious as EY is a privilege.

Be yourself in the interview - remember the interviewers aren't out to try and get you, they want to offer you a job! Be confident at the assessment days but not overly confident. Be proactive in seeking out opportunities - there are plenty out there so grab each and every one you can by the horn.