Assurance associate Review

I work in audit which means I test and query companies financial results to ensure there is no fraud or error in these statements when they are published. This involves testing different parts of the financial statement. This means I get to travel to client sites and look at invoices, payroll reports and contracts just to name a few lines I test

Throughout my time I have learnt a variety of skills from basic excel, to business language to creating a workbook for our audit. This has all been taught on the job which is extremely useful as these are basic things if you want to get anywhere in the accounting world

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far, as I have encountered a variety of clients and have travelled to a variety of locations. You also get to integrate closely with your team when you are away. As well I have found that people are welcoming and willing to teach you

So far, there is support and they do try to reach out as much as possible but there are still some admin issues as it is not always clear what is required in terms of admin work we need to complete, this means a lot of the time you are stuck on new features which senior members never did

Overall, the support has been strong as the managers and seniors want you to do well so find time to coach you and develop you and an accountant as they are investing in you. They also provide excused leave days for you to revise for your exams when they are approaching

In terms of my training provider, there is not a lot to report thus far as I haven't done an exam yet, but I do get monthly emails from someone who does check up and ensure I am on track. I also received updates on the content, especially as it has recently changed

In my apprenticeship the qualification is a requirement if you are to get anywhere. This means all what I learn through this is essential to my role. This has meant I have a basic understanding of some of the language used by senior members of staff and the client which helps me perform better

There are a variety of tasks you can join from sports clubs, to religion groups or EY foundation which is a large charity which travels all around the world raising money. There is also a monthly town hall event in my sector where everyone meets at a bar and we talk about our sector and things which are happening.

Yes

As I have found my time thoroughly enjoyable and the atmosphere to be relaxing but pushing at the same time to do well. This has meant I have developed at a fast rate as I am always being pushed to do the best I can and work which is usually performed by senior levels

Ensure you want to work in this sector, because although the pay is good to start off with, it can be very busy with long hours required for at least a quarter of the year. But also do research before to impress the partners when it comes to be interviewed by them