Assurance Assistant Senior Review

I work as an Assistant Senior in the Audit department which is part of Assurance. My work varies on a daily basis as I work on a number of different engagement with different teams. My role in the team changes per engagement, sometimes I am the lead on site and main client contact, and other times I am focused on a specific piece of work and coach junior members of the team.

I joined EY with no prior accounting knowledge and very little work experience. I have now completed the ICAEW CFAB qualification and I am working through my ACA professional level exams. I have significantly improved by Excel skills and I am now able to use EY internal tools which focus on audit efficiency.

One good part of the job is the variety of clients I get to work with and the travelling that comes with that. Every engagement has a different team which means you get to meet lots of different people and build good working relationships. I like that the job is somehow consistent and inconsistent at the same time. Although there is constant variety in my work, the end goal is always the same.

All course work is spread out over the training contract to allow you enough time to study. No exams are planned during the busiest months of the year so that there is no need to sacrifice study time to work. There is a school leaver contact at the office that is very approachable in case any issues might arise.

No exams are planned during the busiest months of the year so that there is no need to sacrifice study time to work. Everyone respects the hours of those that need to study and don't put extra pressure on those. Everyone that I have worked with has been willing to provide coaching to those on the school leaver programme.

Our exam training for the ICAEW ACA qualification is provided by Kaplan Financial. They provide us with required study materials as well as extra summary notes as support. During the course the staff is dedicated to make sure the students understand all concepts. They are available for contact outside of the course dates if any extra support is needed.

Some of the exams that we sit as part of the ACA qualification relate directly to our day to day job, for example the accounting and assurance related exams. Other exams might not relate to our day to day job but do give us a better understanding of other issues a business might face.

EY has a variety of sports teams that employees are able to join as well as societies based on your lifestyle and interests. The firm is quite social so drinks are often organised after the working week. This allows people so socialize and connect on a more personal level. In addition, we have office wide social events in the form of a summer and Christmas party. EY also allows you to participate in voluntary work through CSR days.

Yes

The EY School Leaver Programme is a great alternative to university for those who prefer to learn by doing the work rather than just reading about it. The firm is very supportive of your studies and allows you to have a good work-life balance. Every day is different as you often don't work on the same clients for long and you are performing many different tasks.

Do research into the company and the specific role you are applying to so that you are sure it is a good fit for you. Take part in experience days to show your interest and to learn more about the company. Be yourself during the interviews, if you and the interviewer get along well it probably means you are a good fit for the company.