Audit Assistant Review

Each audit team generally has an auditor of each level e.g. manager, assistant manager, senior, junior etc (depending on how large the job is). My job title is an audit junior. As I am a junior, a lot of my work is out on client's site as opposed to in the office and therefore for most of the month I am working from a client's office. For most of my audits, I am normally out on-site for about a week, although the job I am currently working on is a 2 week audit. Daily interactions are generally with the client as I do a lot of the sample testing such as agreeing balances to invoice. Every audit I have been on, I have had the opportunity to work on a new section or perform testing on a balance that I have not previously looked at before. At the start of each audit I am given a brief of the sections I am required to complete and therefore I can plan when I am going to complete each section, when I am going to arrange to sit down with the client etc.

I have definitely learnt new skills. I have been on a variety of internal training courses i.e. IT related, HR related, accounting practice at Cambridge University, financial services specific course (as I am in the Financial Services sector). I have also been on external training courses with BPP which is where we study for our professional exams. I have been here for nearly 1 year now and I have already passed 3 exams and completed 50% of my actual Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business. In addition to the above, I have also gained more personal skills. As I communicate with the client a lot on a day-to-day basis, I have definitely improved my communication skills and how to adapt when speaking to a different type of client. My travel skills have also improved! Travelling to each client in different areas independently has improved my area knowledge and I am becoming more familiar with the quickest routes to certain places etc.

I am really enjoying the programme. I feel very supported at work and during study periods. All of the team knows what it is like to be in my position and make me feel comfortable and confident to ask them any questions when I am unsure of something during the audit. In terms of studying, some of the modules are self-study however we still have access to an online tutor, are provided with all of the study materials and have an internal "buddy" and "counselling manager" at BDO's office.

The programme is well organised. someone is responsible for the induction process and ensures that everybody knows dates/times and puts them in our computer calendar/sends a reminder email. We are informed well in advance when our exams are and when we need to attend college. We have sector specific training courses yearly so that everybody is aware of specific terminology/sector changes. Support system is good (as mentioned above) we are allocated a "buddy" who is generally an individual who is on the same training program but a year above, and a counselling manager who is a qualified BDO employee.

Support is one of the largest strengths of the scheme. A BPP employee arranges meetings with me every couple of months to monitor my progress and see how I am getting on. They are always accessible by email. We are able to contact all tutors via email or through the online BPP system. The tutors are very understanding and are available all of the time. You can contact the generic BPP email if you are unsure of who you should direct your query to and they will dirrect it to the most appropriate person. In general, I have found BPP incredibly supportive. When I studied at BPP for my first exam, the tutor always arrived early so I could ask questions in the morning, stayed around at lunch and would stay after if there were any extra queries.

The main support from my employer is through my buddy and my counselling manager who are always accessible. On a whole, if I did have a query I could ask anybody in my sector as they would all be willing to help. My counselling manager attends all of my meetings with my BPP assessor and so is really keen to aid me with getting through the scheme.

My salary is okay at the moment as I am living with my parents and so the rent is cheaper than if I had moved out. I do find it difficult to save money for the future due to the travel costs and I often do not go out as often as I want to as I will not have enough to move out/do my driving lessons etc.

There are sector socials every month where we have the opportunity to socialise with all of those we may not see regularly due to client commitments. There are always sponsorship activities that we can get involved with and courses that we can apply to go on through the internal systen.

Yes

because I feel really supported

It took me time to get into the job as I was still a bit confused about what I was required to do. Definitely speak to somebody about what they do on a day-to-day basis so you have an understanding of what an audit is and what an auditors role is.