Associate Review

I get in the office at around half 8 and catch up on any emails, and plan for my day. I wait for my seniors and managers to get in so I can update them on my task and or/ ask for more work. After knowing what to do for the day I make a list of all my tasks and try mty best to meet them.

I have learnt more than I could possibly imagine. Coming out of school with science A Levels I thought I would struggle working at a big 4 auditing firm, but my team is extremely helpful and all seniors and senior managers take the time to explain aspects of audit/ accounting to me.

Overall, I love this programme, I think it is the best thing that I've ever done/ am doing. I'm only 19 and yet I'm doing work alongside 24/25 year old grads and we're on equal ground, we work the same hours and are expected to the do the same amount of work. One thing I would say is that although not everyone is like this, sometimes I feel as if some members of my team disregard my views/ ideas as they don't think I'm experienced enough, that being said, not everyone is like this!

This programme is very well structured! Before you join EY send you loads of emails and documents outlining your course and what you're expected to do! You're never left in the dark! And if you do need help if you're confused about anything there are loads of people you could ask for help!

I have received a lot of support from EY, there are many benefits you gain from working here, and the people are extremely understanding and helpful. There is a very friendly atmosphere here, everyone will help everyone and spread their knowledge, I have learnt something almost everyday since I joined here!

Although I haven't sat any exams yet, my exam body is ICAEW and my tuition provider is Kaplan, they always keep me up to date, and they are available 24/7 if I need help with anything or if I have any questions to ask them! They have their own website with e-learning materials, which help a lot.

Revising for my first exam (and the most important one in my opinion, financial accounting) helps a lot as I can understand and predict the financial statements and balance sheets of the audit rather than not knowing what to do! Although the team is helpful I would much rather know what to do myself, and the course structure for my exams help a lot.

There are many extra-curricular activities at work, I personally don't take part in them, but I know many people who organise socials, networking events, study groups and other activities. Loads of people go to them and enjoy them a lot, managers are really lenient when it comes to going to socials.

Yes

The sheer amount of knowledge you gain from working at such a well respected firm in such a small amount of time is amazing. The people are friendly and want to help, they urge you to ask questions, the managers and senior managers are approachable and everyone is assigned a counsellor and buddy you can go to when you need help with anything!

Do some research into the work an EY professional does, and make sure to reach out to someone who does work at EY who can help you and talk you through the application process. As this can be extremely helpful, not all schools go through apprenticeship applications as they do for UCAS, so it can be a help!