Business Academy Student Review

On the EY Business Academy up in Edinburgh I took part in lots of different tasks to help on an insurance broker audit. On my second day I was manually checking admin expense figures for a particular audit. Throughout the week I also undertook research on new clients that have been recently acquired and helped with different IT systems. I thoroughly enjoyed every day of the week and have gained invaluable experience to take away with me on new areas of work.

I learnt new skills on how to use IT systems that were new to me such as PACE and Canvas. I also developed my excel knowledge with the help of my team. I also developed my knowledge on auditing and financial services in general, as well as learnt lots of new information on insurance broking, which was completely new to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed my week at EY in Edinburgh and met lots of amazing new people that I got on very well with. My buddy Christine was very approachable and helped me a lot with tasks that I wasn't too sure on at first, she helped build my confidence. I also enjoyed working with Anna too on my first two days in the office and they all gave me great feed back.

Even though I am only here as part of the business academy and have no chartered accountant qualifications yet, I felt very valued as I worked on real audits and submitted them in my own name, receiving great feedback. This gave me a sense of belonging in the team. I was involved in every task possible and felt valued by all members.

The induction and IT training on the first day was very well organised and the IT technician helped us all solve the problems we had with Skype! I had a good support system through my counsellor, my buddy and the rest of the team who not only helped me on my delegated tasks, but on preparing my presentation too. Overall the programme was very well organised.

My buddy [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] gave me lots of support through delegeated tasks and in my presentation. She provided me with lots of inside knowledge and was a very friendly face who I got on very well with. Even though she is very busy herself with all of her work, she took time out to help me which I really appreciated.

The virtual learning skype calls were very well organised and set up. Katherine, Harriet and Victoria were very engaging in their talks and was very useful not just for this week, but for further studies or tasks that involve that skill set. The chat function was very useful as everybody could quickly ask questions or message if they was unsure on what had been said, which the team then answered very well. Very impressed with the virtual learning skype calls.

I am not too sure how much I get paid for this week, however I would of been very happy to do this week unpaid as I have gained lots of invaluable experience to take away with me, meeting lots of new people with great mind sets who work very hard. I travelled up from Hull for this programme and stayed in an apartment not far away as the location of the Edinburgh office is very central and easy to access.

On my final day there was a donut day which got everybody in the office very excited. I know EY has lots of different social events which I would look forward too if I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship with this company. Everybody I met was friendly, always smiling and approachable!

Yes

Definitely! As aforementioned, this week I have gained invaluable experience and cemented in myself that I would like to apply for an apprenticeship in audit at EY. I know of no other company to offer such an experience for college students and it is such a great company to want to work for.

My advice would be to practice the numerical reasoning tests and situational tests before taking them on your application, just to help practice and get a feel of what will be asked of you. I would also research background information of the company to help your understanding and knowledge.