External Audit Assistant Review

Audit involves going out to client site and reviewing their financial statements to detect any mistakes that may or may not have been purposefully made. Typically, you spend one to two weeks on one client site with a small team of colleagues and work through areas such as fixed assets, turnover and debtors in order to understand the business.

My confidence skills have definitely developed since joining RSM as I have to frequently introduce myself and liaise with clients. Teamwork is a skill that I have also greatly developed as everyday you are working with a different set of people within the audit department. I have also become better at excel, which we use daily.

I really enjoy my role within the audit team at RSM. Each day is extremely varied in that you are never just in the office or on the same client site for a long time. There is a good mix of college and work based learning, which I really find useful for applying textbook knowledge.

The programme is very well structured. We have college roughly once every two months and then several weeks later, an exam. The training provider, BPP, is extremely helpful in answering questions you may have and general support if you need it. There are also quarterly phone calls with a skills coach from BPP and my line manager, where they check up and praise progress.

A huge amount of support is given from my employer. There is a culture where you feel as if you can always ask for help if you need it and everyone is so friendly. You can always go directly to your line manager if you feel you are struggling, or you are also given a 'buddy' who is closer to your level on joining if you prefer to chat to them.

I receive a lot of support from the training provider, should I require it. They are always on the end of an email if you needed and they regularly check up when you are in between college and an exam to make sure you are getting on ok. The tutors at college are also very good and specialise in one area often. We have access to an online virtual learning environment with them too which I find a great resource when revising.

I find that learning in college and then applying it to the job is a really great way to understand and develop knowledge. Things often 'click' when I am working out on client site, which were mentioned in college and I understand it more through doing the physical work. I perform better in my role because of this as I am not just learning through textbooks.

There are lots of opportunities at RSM to get involved in social clubs such as football, netball, squash. Personally, I am involved in attending careers events outside working hours, in which I get to promote the school leaver scheme here and network with other companies. There is, of course, a lot of general social events such as Friday night's spent at the pub or 'team' socials where we have recently played ping pong.

Yes

I would definitely recommend RSM to a friend because I think it is a great place to work, with a really good culture and friendly people. There's a lot of room for personal development and everyone around is so supportive, no matter what stage you are at in qualifying.

My tips to those applying would mainly be; be yourself and make sure you do the research into the role you are applying to. Also do not be scared or nervous about the interview, as they're always looking to get the best out of you. My interview was very much just like a chat - which was very different to how I had expected it to be!