Associate Review

I work in the insurance department in Ernst and Young, I complete audit work by checking over the general ledgers and financial statements of any companies in the insurance industry in and around London central. I work 9-5 or 9-9 on a daily basis completing reconcilliations and re calculations of work that has been performed by clients

I have learnt new analytical skills in the work that I have been taught to do which is helping me everyday as I deal with client issues and come up with solutions of how to get over them. I have also broadened my expertise in using Microsoft Excel as well.

I love my programme because I know that through it I will be getting a Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales qualification for free which will help me get very well paid jobs in the future. EY also has a great work life balance and teaches me a lot about the world of finance.

Very well structured. We have internal programmes that track all of our work that has been performed and reviewed. The hierarchy system that EY has in place also helps with the organisation because you are very easily able to identify exactly who you need to go to in order to get the right information pertaining to your work.

We have a buddy system which is a second year apprentice/graduate who can help you with day to day issues as well as a counsellor who checks in with us once a month to check that not just everything is going ok at work but also that everything outside of work is going well as well.

We get paid time off in college which is in tutored classrooms, we use this to get the main learning for our qualifications completed. We then get extra study time in between to give us a chance to digest what we have learnt. If any extra time is needed then all you need to do is ask and you get it off.

All of the qualifications that we are doing are able to be easily implemented into the work that we do day to day. This is because it gives us a better understanding of the financial workings of a big business. We can then use it to have a more substantive analytical review of what we are doing.

Every single team has a budget for socials, we get to go for meals and nights out together. The department has a specific social committee that organises drinks every Friday night to go to. We also have sports teams for most sports and religious networks for most religions as well.

Yes

I would recommend EY to a friend because they offer a healthy working environment that is easy to adjust to. They also offer a free qualification so you don't have to go to university and get into debt to make sure that you can get a well paid job in the future.

When you are applying, just be yourself at any interviews and make sure you also portray yourself in a confident manner. This will work wonders with senior staff who are reviewing how you perform. Also a word to the wise. When you are in the final stages of the process always think about timeliness!