Business Associate Review

My job involves drafting technical advice, preparing partners and directors for meetings and studying for my professional qualification. I have regular interactions with other members of client teams and training sessions. At the moment, I have very little contact with clients but this will expand as I gain more experience on the job. I am responsible for doing work delegated to me and filing where necessary.

I am studying for my tax qualifications at the moment. We are tutored externally. We have regular internal training sessions when we join the firm (along with our new graduates) and attend off-site training sessions from time to time. I have learned how to act in an office environment, technical skills and the differences between academic and business writing styles.

I really enjoy the programme as the work is interesting, the company is well known and respected and I get to work on a number of different clients in different sectors. For each client you will work with a different team allowing you to build and develop business relationships. Every member brings something different to the team and are always friendly and willing to help out. I have been given more responsibility than I would have expected and have been treated as a graduate rather than a school leaver which has made the experience even more enjoyable and worthwhile.

There is no differentiation shown between graduates and school leavers which is appreciated. The managers will always provide you feedback on the jobs you have worked on and there are rewards given to recognise an achievement or fro completing a challenging task to a high standard. For most jobs you are involved from the beginning and will be updated of it's progress throughout.

The programme has an excellent induction for BrightStarts as well as a local office induction and a graduate induction. Training is provided throughout your team at the firm and ample time is given for study leave as well as revision classes provided if requested. There is an office training manager who is always happy to help and answer any questions you have and you can request to have a buddy or mentor when you join. You will be delegated tasks based on your skill level and tasks will become more challenging and you will be given more responsibility as you move up through the firm. Overall, the programme is well organised and extremely well supported.

I study with BPP who are excellent, you are given contact details so you can ask questions at weekends/evenings, and provided with a lot of useful materials. Deloitte Bristol work with BPP to have guidance sessions outside of college time, so you can discuss any problems or ideas that you have in relation to your college time.

We work with different managers all of the time, but all are understanding when it comes to college time, and unavoidable important commitments that sometimes you are unable to stay a bit later. I haven't dealt with the HR team, but we are given mentors and appraisers that are always there to answer questions and help us reach achievable goals.

I live at home so it is easier for me in comparison to others who have had to move to London to take the job. I live outside of London so my travel costs are very high, however the salary is very competitive considering I did not spend years at uni. I wish to have got some more cash from this however i cannot complain really with what i was given considering the prospects.

There is an office social committee and an audit social committee which organise events throughout the year including an annual ball, Christmas dinners, quizzes and away days. Every year there is a community day where everyone goes out into the local community to help with various projects. There is also a local office charity partner which is supported throughout the year through different events. The firm also enters teams into sporting events such as football and tag rugby and is always looking to set up other clubs.

Yes

It has great people who look out for you and make work enjoyable. The support networks are fantastic and they allow us to study for my accounting qualification in work time rather than my own time. There is also a lot of fun happening outside of work. I think it's definitely worthwhile applying and seeing what happens too. The people are friendly too and the course is really interesting and you learn some new skills.

Be careful with your application and apply early to give yourself the most options/opportunity to get in. Be prepared for the interviews with examples of where you have shown that you would suit working here. You get get in contact with someone who already works here if you wish to discuss what it's like to work here - ask the onboarding team.