Trainee Associate Review

I look at detailed accounts as well as discussing, reviewing and summarizing the processes of the clients that we work with. I am responsible for the maintaining of the documentation on our own internal systems and ensuring that it is all up to date and accurate so as to gain an overview of the business.

By doing this job, you learn a lot of new skills and gaining new experiences, interest and skill set. It is a very particular skill base to gain but the extent of general and specific knowledge is ever growing. Both internally and externally, training is provided and learning is always available.

With everything there are positives and negatives. On one hand, aspects such as pay could be much better particularly overtime and travel time as you do a lot of both of those with no benefit. However, the learning and training experiences are invaluable and fun. Also, the social and cultural aspect of EY is incredible.

My programme is very much led by the firm, EY. They organise the college times and also when exams are. Internally, there is a very clear hierarchy for your career progression particularly through mentors and work 'counselors'. EY are very eager to give you the best possible experience that they can and to maintain your career.

There is a hierarchy for support from top level management, at partner level, down to having your peers and having a specific person in the year group above you to support your work life and your career progression in whichever route you want to take. EY are very into maintaining your career as successful as possible.

When you join Kaplan Financial, you are given a specific member of Kaplan to support yourself and your peers at EY in particular to support you academically. There are also online resources you can see and use. However, I feel that support could be better as we have approximately 9 months between our academic course in college and our exam.

At the moment, we have not had academic progress through the qualification due to only seven days of college. However, on a basic level it has greatly assisted in understanding what I am looking at, particularly with my clients' systems, and I also think that as I have more college and exams it will be better.

At EY Southampton, we have loads of social activities, we are a very familial office and everybody up to the highest level management, managing partner level, is very approachable. Everybody is always arranging activities together but also EY do a lot of sports (e.g. football) and charitable activities/fundraising (e.g. a mud run).

Yes

They give great career prospects, whether you want to stay at EY as an auditor (or transfer to another area of the business such as transactions) or if you want to work in industry. Everyone at EY is very supportive and everyone has your best interests are the forefront of their minds.

EY pride themselves on the people aspect that they employ and sell to clients. The best thing to do applying for EY is to be themselves and to highlight and sell their best aspects. Always put 100% in, even in the application process and inductions etc. But mainly, have fun and enjoy the EY experience!