Associate Auditor Review

I am an associate with EY at the Cambridge and my daily tasks involve working on client sites and performing tasks to aid and complete the audit of our clients. Daily internal interactions include those with colleges from the same intake as well as those more senior to me both on a personal level and on a coaching level. External daily interactions are mainly those between my self and the client we are working on via different mediums from, email, calls and in person meetings. Mt responsibilities vary from engagement to engagement and depend on the work allocation for the engagement, often I will perform planning stages and at year end I shall perform testing and take control over certain steps/ accounts. I have worked on a variety of projects from clients in the medical research market to tech firms and large hospitality chains. My tasks everyday will vary and are dependent upon the work allocation I have been given and the stage of the audit, examples of tasks can be correspondence with the client, performing testing and reviews of accounts.

Over the cause of the 5 year program I will become a fully chartered accountant under IACEW board as well as a natioanl level apprentiship level. The internal training we receive is based on our rank and we have residential training in london yearly where we get an insight into new procedures we shall be expected to cope with and management skills, we also have localised training days at our Cambridge office where they teach us of the new tools available to help improve the efficiency of our audit. External training courses take place in Cambridge and London and occur before each exam we are expected to take, the class group are small which is very beneficial and we have online additional training. my personal skills have devloped greatly for time management and communication.

The work is enjoyable and the teams are great as suprisingly young and alot of people are from different locations so have alot of experiences to share. the company culture is professional but also modern due to the age of employees and flexible working. I would say it exceeded my expectations and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

I feel very valued by the manager as we all get given responsibilty over our allocated tasks, the firm also has a counsellor system by which we receive feedback and reflect on how to improve.

Our induction is very well planned and we have it both locally and in London where we are giving training and support. We have time off to study in college and managers are happy to let us leave on time to study close to exams. We have a buddy system which is with a person 1 year older and a counsellor who is higher ranked. Tasks are deligated based on experience and ability. Usually there is a hierachy due to roles, however all staff no matter the level are very approachable. The programme is organised well.

We have specific tutors at college which is ideal who provide us with guidance. Those who provide on the job training are always happy to support me even when busy.

We receive alot of support for staff of all levels regarding training, and HR are always happy to help.

My salary meets my living costs very well due to living at home, however it may not be so suited if i was to rent in Cambridge. On a positive note we get travel expenses so this helps alot as well as the firm putting money behind social events from team building events to meals and drinks.

There are lots of opportunites outside of work to get involved with company events and socialise with those from the firm. Recently we rented "escape rooms" for a team building exercise and had drinks after all free of charge. We are allowed time off for charitable activites such as sponsered events and the firm does well to support fund raising for these. They also run sporting events such as inter office cricket and five a side football. When I am not working i enjoy fitness and going out with friends in different cities.

Yes

It is a great opportunity to gain a qualification and get paid allowing you to have fun outside of work as well.

I would say to be yourself as the firm likes people who are genuine and those who would fit in with the teams due to spending lots of time with each other, For the application a good reference is ideal, for interviews my main advice would be to not stress and stay calm as it isn't as daunting as it seems to start, also have a good idea of the news/ economy so you can discuss this. The assessment days are good so dont worry, but i would recommend taking the "skills academy".