Trainee Associate Review

Job Title: Trainee Associate My typical day would involve travelling to the client site in teams varying in size from 2 to 8. I have worked on the planning and year end audit stages. I am typically assigned different sections and tasks at the beginning of the engagement. Daily tasks are varied depending on the client, audit stage and sections assigned. I am responsible for completing my sections and seeking guidance when necessary. I often communicate with the client staff to obtain the information that I need.

I am currently studying towards the CFAB qualification. The first module was 'Accounting' which I found extremely challenging in the given time frame but also invaluably useful for my work at EY. I have completed the Introduction to Audit and Developing Audit Knowledge training courses. I found the induction very useful and learnt a lot from it. I found the DAK course content too challenging and was overwhelmed by the content. I feel that starting from the very basics would have been much more beneficial in preparing us for work at EY.

The EY School Leaver is a brilliant opportunity offering a highly prestigious qualification with valuable industry experience. I have enjoyed meeting and working with all of the EY teams. I didn't know what to expect when I joined EY but I wouldn't have imagined it to be as it has been. We really are thrown right in to the work which is an excellent way to learn but I feel that there is a lack of support at times - especially in my first few weeks. I felt very overwhelmed and did not enjoy the working experience at first as there was very limited training. Now that my knowledge is developing I have a lot more job satisfaction as I feel that I am making a postitive contribution.

I find the experience on each engagement very varied. Managers are usually appreciative of the work that we do. I do not feel individually valued by EY. I am often expected to work long hours and feel very guilty when leaving before other members of the team. This results in staying for long hours even when I am well on schedule.

I was very impressed with the induction. I felt welcomed and was excited to begin my EY career.

The tutor's on our residential CFAB training course were very approachable and helpful. I found the Accounting module very difficult and failed on my first attempt despite putting in a lot of work. I was very impressed when EY set up a one to one session to go through my questions with a Kaplan tutor. I found this extremely useful and would not have managed to pass on the second attempt without this support. I found the CFAB exam experience very stressful as I had no prior accounting knowledge. The content of the exams was manageable but the time frame was very pressured. I did not enjoy the experience of studying as I was very worried about the outcome of failing the exam. However, once I passed it was definitely worth the challenge!

I have been able to meet with my councillor to discuss any problems that I have had but I do not find the working arrangements to be particularly flexible to accomodate exceptional circumstances and needs. When I first joined, I was not assigned a buddy until a few weeks later. I think that this could have been managed better as the first few weeks are when you most need somebody to ask questions.

I feel that the salary is reasonable considering that our college fees are being covered. In comparison to attending university, I am in a much more posivitive financial position of net assets rather than liabilities. However, I feel that the salaries are not very fair accross offices. The Cambridge office utilisation is high but the salary is lower than that of Luton despite the extremely expensive living costs in Cambridge. I have to budget carefully and do not have as much spending money as EY employees from other offices.

I often receive invites to EY events and enjoy attending them. I would like to be able to attend more events but am sometimes prevented from doing so due to working hours and client locations. I would like to be able to have more free time in the evenings to pursue social activities and go to the gym at a more reasonable hour.

No

i found it really valuable to research the role, general industry news and current affairs, talking to EY grads and looking at information about the application process online. I found the assessment centres challenging and enjoyed my interview.