Associate Review

My service line is audit. My normal day involves travelling to the client site, which can be a long way from home. I sometimes have to stay in a hotel for several nights when the commute is ridiculous. I get most of my work from my 'official senior' but they won't always have work for you so it's a good idea to network with the whole team.

I had never really used excel before, but now I use it everyday for 8+ hours. The excel functions I found most useful was a vlookup and a pivot table. they can both cut down the hours you work dramatically. I have also, learned a lot about audit and the theory behind it, which I find interesting. Although, there is a lot I still don't know and you don't see the big picture of an audit for a long time so it can be difficult

I enjoy the programme because there is a lot expected of you. It is fast-paced and it can be challenging to keep up. It wouldn't be worth the effort if you weren't learning and being challenged. I enjoy travelling with work. I've met a lot of new and interesting people which has been good and I look forward to meeting more people with each engagement I move on too. You spend a lot of time with your team, often in very small rooms, so it is always good to get on with the people on your team.

The people at EY are really nice and welcoming. The office I work in is really nice but I have spent about 4 days of my three months working at EY in the office. My managers normally schedule catch-ups with me to make sure I'm settling in ok and understand what I am doing - that has been really helpful. I feel really valued at EY

Organisation from the firm has been overall good but sometimes it can be fustrating when communication slacks. EY is such a big firm and this years intake was the biggest yet which has probably made it hard to co-ordinate. Team hierarchy is always sent out within engagments so it you always know who you are reporting to. You can always ask anyone to help.

We get assigned a buddy and a counsellor when we join. Both of these relationships will be informal which means you feel more comfortable to complain about anything - this means you can be supported properly. Support for our exams could be better as tutors can take a while to respond and it is hard to get an explanation of a complex theory over email.

Support from the employer is good. You get given a buddy and a counsellor who you can approach with any issues you have. You also have counsellor family tree meetings which involve people at all levels from associates to partners. There are normally tea and biscuits at these meetings as well!! on top of this you get a peer group, which just contains people within your year group which is a bit less formal than the CFT.

Not at all. Apprentices get paid dramatically less than graduates - even though we do the same work and sometimes more as they spend more time off work studying.

There are plenty of socials that happen. Our office christmas party is the next. For our team social we went go karting which was really good - and it is all free. student recruitment send out emails organising events to recruit next years intake. It is good to go to a careers event with EY meeting new people.

Yes

Career progression happens very quickly and there isn't a lot of beaurocracy. I feel comfortable asking the partners and senior managers questions and talking about my work. From every level people are willing to listen to your ideas and hear your input. It has been an amazing learning experience. It can be very stressful and deadlines can be hard to meet so managing time effectively has become a big focus for me.

When applying to EY I would recommend getting familiar with excel - it could save your life if joining in busy season. Don't be scared to ask for help - it is better to ask and do it right than not ask and do it wrong. No one will re do your work so if you do it wrong you'll have to spend hours fixing it. So save yourself some time and stress by making lots of notes so you don't miss anything.