Associate Auditor Review

I work in the audit department for Scotland central belt. I usually am out at a clients office and complete the audit on site; this means lots of interactions with the client and working in teams every day. We have a variety of clients so we get new teams every few weeks, which means work is never the same!

I have currently completed 5 exams in ICAS and have 6 left to go. We get training courses on a yearly basis internally which means you get to travel to another city and get some time off work to learn relevant things. I have also developed business acumen as I begin to understand the strategic movements of companies and how they wish to grow/get better in their markets. I am also more confident when speaking with new people (clients) and am not afraid to challenge explanations given.

As always there are days where you don't want to be working, but that is just the general feeling you get sometimes! I think that the company has a good work culture and as long as you are completing your assigned work, whilst helping out in other areas, where need be, you get the most out of work. The fact that you are earning and doing exams at the same time is a real bonus as it almost feels like you are being paid to study!

You feel valued from the get-go as EY is very people based. You are always reminded there are development opportunities to get involved in and you are given feedback from every job. Your year end reviews also allow for a bonus if your work has been completed to a high standard year-round; recognising hard work and positive attitudes

You are given structured time in your planned for your classes and exams months in advance which allows you to plan your time/clients/holidays around this. You are given your study time off which is also very helpful. You do have to be responsible for your studying though and make sure you get through the required work, but if you are organised then it is manageable. You meet with your consellor regularly to chat through progress/developments that you need to focus on for the next quarter

When you are in ICAS classes the tutors are engaging and make the lectures interesting. You are given support functions for asking any questions and this means you can always ask questions. You can also go in to see the tutors to chat through questions if you would prefer a face-to-face

You are given time for study leave and learning, which is good as you can put work on hold to really study for the days which you are off.

The salary increases every year, which is great. As I am still very young, I still live at home, so all the money I get goes towards saving, my pension and general living. It covers it all really well and I always have some money at the end of the day for going out. I pay for the majority of my bills including the gym, my car and phone etc.

There's a huge array of things to get involved in in EY. From charity events, to local sport get togethers and more recently technological innovation workshops, you would actually have to find time to fit them all in

Yes

Working for one of the biggest companies in the work from age 17 surely is something to be proud of! You begin to understand how the world really works and you are fresh from school which means you are already in a routine of 5 days a week (for work) and studying for exams - why let that go now?

Go for it! I say to everyone now I am so glad I did not go to Uni, as I feel like I am way ahead of where I would have been joining as a graduate. You are given responsibility from day 1 and have to work hard, but you develop a good work ethic which will help you in years to come