Assistant Tax Advisor Review

I work within the Indirect Tax team at EY and my role involves doing VAT Compliance work for a number of clients. I am responsible for a small portfolio of clients and I am expected to complete their VAT compliance reviews as well as respond to any VAT queries they might have.

Compliance work can become quite repetitive, however, the role helps develop your soft skills massively. You are given quite a lot of responsibility very early on and it is down to you to manage your time and workload effectively/efficiently. You also get a lot of time with clients, on your own, which isn’t something that usually happens when you are an apprentice/graduate.

I have been at EY for around 8 months now and, so far, I am really enjoying myself. At first, it was quite slow as I needed to be trained up properly and shown a lot of admin related tasks/systems, however, this is only expected when you are a new joiner anywhere. Everyone in my team (both in my local office and across the country) is really nice and friendly, and they are always happy to help. There are a number of apprentice/graduate training events in London throughout the year as part of the programme which is also fun – it helps you build a network of people who are at the same stage as you and they act as your support network throughout the programme/examinations.

How valued you feel within a large, multinational, corporate company is usually down to the people within your business area/service line/team. Everyone in my team is approachable and has made the effort to make sure I feel welcome and that I have settled in well – this includes everyone from apprentice/graduate all the way up to Partner. My managers give me feedback on a regular basis and the work I put into my role is recognised and praised.

The programmes at EY have a very clear structure and your career path/progression route is easy to understand and follow. The dates for college and examinations are set quite far in advance, so you know when everything is from day 1. Training within each service line is tailored to your role and is well organised/structured as well. There is little to no confusion about what is expected from me over the next 5 years.

Our training provider offers support via their website which you can log in to. They provide training materials, additional resources and offer a handy call back service where a tutor calls you back. You can also email tutors and they will respond pretty quickly. Personally, I feel like they are only there for the studying and exam side of the programme, which is fine for me as I think my team and the EY Apprenticeships team provide enough support for issues separate to the training.

My team offer support by the bucket. The message is extremely clear from the get go: your health and well-being come first and your exams and college take priority over work – workloads can always be allocated and distributed to other people, you need to take time to study to ensure you pass your exams. Managers and above are also very supportive when it comes to your professional and personal development – they are investing in you and 100% want you to succeed and do well. Feedback is communicated clearly and often so you always know where you stand and what you need to do to improve.

There are definitely other companies that pay more, for example, banks, however, I think the pay is fair considering they pay for all of your exams and college tutoring which eventually allows you to become a Chartered Accountant. It is also still a lot higher than the national minimum wage for apprentices. I feel as though my salary meets my costs well, however, I can only comment for people who live at home with parents/family rent free with only a few big outgoing costs.

There are lots of things you can get involved with outside of work, both socially and professionally. One of my favourite things about working at EY is that we have a number of socials and team days. Everyone in my team is also really outgoing and fun so we also organise social events for ourselves outside of work as well. EY has a number of networks that you can join, such as the Women’s Network. Student recruitment also run lots of events at different universities/schools which you can participate in.

Yes

Overall, EY is a great place to work and having a Big 4 firm on your CV will do great things for your career, whether you chose to stay at the end of your scheme or not. The office has a really friendly vibe and the people who work here are truly, truly amazing.

It will sound very stereotypical but honestly just be yourself. We want a diverse range of people to work with and this includes personalities. Please, please, please research the service lines and make an informed decision when applying – 5 years is a long time to commit to a programme so do not take this decision lightly.