Apprentice Review

The nature of the apprenticeship is rotational, therefore it may vary day-to-day what I do. However, in the past I have worked in Tax, Advisory, Audit, Defence; amongst lots of other roles. This also means the nature of the work is incredible variable, depending on the department.

Absolutely. I have been able to study towards AAT Levels 3 and 4, which has helped to hone my general accounting skills, as well as being able to develop my professional self, through networking, team outings, meetings, mentorships; amongst other things.

Generally, I enjoy the programme at KPMG. I am in the very first cohort, so in lots of matters we act as 'guinea pigs' for qualifications and ideas, which sometimes leads to problems and dissatisfaction. However, mostly I enjoy my time as an apprentice.

Currently, due to certain circumstances, I am not feeling valued by the apprenticeship management team. In terms of the wider business, and my placement colleagues, I feel extremely valued. I am contributing good work, and helping to meet business needs wherever I can. With regards to the apprenticeship management: I have not had formal contact time with my Performance Manager in months, and recently have been swept under the carpet with regards to particular requests about my own career at the firm.

The theoretical structure of the programme is good, on paper. However in practice I get the understanding that management are making a lot of it up as we go along. The nature of the programme means that we can specialise virtually anywhere within the business. However, recently we have had to make our specialisation decisions without much information on the qualifications we will go on to study. Therefore, as apprentices we are very unsure and confused about where our careers may take us, should we chose to stay with the firm.

Except from providing the materials, and classroom sessions, our training provider have been an antagonist to my success thus far. I have had multiple issues with them, for a whole host of complex reasons. However, a general lack of clarity and communication has been a recurring theme. I have, in contrast, passed all of my exams so far, however I would give myself the majority of the credit for this.

Employer support, with disregard for certain elements of the apprenticeship management, is great. There are support networks anywhere you look for them, and people are almost always happy to help.

For me, the salary is not fantastic (recently we (apprentices) have put forward a request to management to increase our salary). Ultimately, after costs of travel and basic lifestyle I am not left with much disposable income. It is a known fact that we are paid significantly less than Graduates, despite the fact we have up to 3 years more experience, plus accountancy-related qualifications to our name.

We have lots of employee networks at the firm, and there are some external opportunities - if you know where to look for them. However, most of these occur in London, and I personally live in Hertfordshire. Therefore meaning it is difficult for me to get appropriate travel outside of peak hours. Consequently I have not utilised out of office opportunities.

Yes

At this particular stage, with my particular career ambitions, I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend the apprenticeship itself. However, I would certainly recommend KPMG as a company to work for. They (generally) pay well, they offer a great support network, and encourage strong progression and development. Plus, having a Big Four on your CV will put you well ahead of other competition in lots of future job opportunities.

Think very carefully about what it is you want to do for a career before applying to the programme. If you are wanting to become a typical financial accountant, studying ACA, ACCA, CIMA - this programme is probably good for you. However, if your interests stretch beyond this, as mine do, I would recommend shopping around before making a final decision with this apprenticeship. The programme is designed to support diverse career choices, however so far I have not found this to be particularly true.