Senior Assoicate Review

As I am in the third year of my apprenticeship scheme, my day to day role is being a senior member of the audit team. This involves performing audit work on higher risk areas such as provisions. This also involves coaching first and second year apprentices and graduates to help them get involved in the audit. It is also my responsibility to liaise with the managers and senior managers on the team to keep them updated on the progress of the audit.

I have learnt lots of new skills whilst working in audit. I have developed my knowledge of Excel and I am now very capable of using complex formula. I have also developed my coaching skills, as I have had to coach first and second year graduates and apprentices and introduce them to audit and client facing work. I have also developed my networking skills, I have to liaise with clients and other team members on a very regular basis.

There are many enjoyable parts of working at EY. On a daily basis you work with individuals at the top of their game which is inspiring. There are lots of networking opportunities and it feels as though you are working with a community rather than just a job. I have learnt a great deal and I know that I will qualify as a chartered accountant ahead of those who have attended university.

As EY is a big four accounting firm, there is a sense that there is no difficulty to find applicants. This can sometimes make you feel a little under valued. However, a lot of the work is done within a team environment and Managers and Senior managers within a team will go to an effort to ensure that their team members are happy and feel valued within the team.

The programme is very well structured and organised. In my year group across the country, EY have taken on approximately 60 apprentices. I believe this figure is growing as the demand for Apprentice roles is growing. Therefore the program has to be organised. Training is all provided by Kaplan Financial College and therefore is organised outside of EY.

Kaplan is a fantastic training provider. The tutors are very willing to help with queries over email or in college. The exams are tough but as long as you put in the work they are passable. All the training materials are provided by Kaplan and funded by EY therefore there is nothing to worry about when it comes to studying.

When it comes to study support, EY don't provide a lot of support. All college days you are given off work but no other days study leave it is expected that you will study in your own time. Managers tend to be quite flexible about studying and understanding when it comes to leaving on time to go home and study.

The starting salary is quite low compared to the cost of living in Bristol. However the salary does go up by about £3k a year therefore it becomes more manageable to live on. The salary doesn't necessarily reflect the work you do. For example as an apprentice you are expected to perform the same work as a graduate and are paid a lot less. No overtime is paid.

There are plenty of social and sporting opportunities to get involved in. This year we have been to see the rugby & cricket. There are lots of other socials to get involved in, for example we attend a tag rugby tournament with a mixed team every year. There are also netball and football clubs to get involved in.

Yes

The career opportunities that come around from working for EY are great. You are always working with high class individuals and reputable clients. You get to work with lots of young people and there is a fantastic social scene outside of work. I have made some fantastic friends within EY with a vast range of people, across services lines and across rankings.

The application process is a lot about you as an individual, how you react to people and how you communicate and less about academic ability. I would advise that you act confident and sure of yourself and try not to worry too hard! The written tests at the Assessment Centre are very difficult and you aren't supposed to be able to finish them so don't panic!