Auditor Review

I am an associate working in the audit department. Day to day I will go out to the clients office to complete the audit with my team. Typically we spend 2-3 weeks at one client before going to a new client but will visit a single client multiple times in the year for different stages of the audit.

I use excel every single day so have learnt so much on that. I've also developed my skills with interacting with clients and working with them to be able to complete our work whilst keeping them happy. I have also learnt a lot on the analysis side of things and now have a lot more of an eye for problems/issues.

As a whole I thoroughly enjoy my programme as I have made a lot of friends with people from my intake. I always feel supported and comfortable enough to ask questions when necessary. Sometimes I have days doing my job where I consider whether it is right for me however I try to remember the end goal of qualifying as a Chartered Accountant.

I would say that the programme is well structured however due to it being within such a large firm with so many people on the programme at once I feel they sometimes try to do too much and it can get a little confusing with where you're at with the apprenticeship and what your upcoming responsibilities. Note this is not to do with the day to day job.

There is always support available from someone within the firm no matter what your issue. However I have noticed some people around me don't always feel comfortable raising issues due to the person available on hand. Whenever I feel I'm struggling I will go to my more senior friends rather than the designated counsellor's.

There is endless support from ICAEW and the college Kaplan when it comes to exams. We are given access to a wide range of resources on the ICAEW website around the qualification as a whole. For each individual exam we then have access to the Kaplan website which includes lots of study resources.

In total the qualification includes 15 exams. Some of these are more relevant to my role than others. There are a few that apply directly to my role greatly improve my knowledge which enables me to work better and smarter. Some of the other exams provide knowledge that will be useful in potential future careers.

I can tell that my company makes a conscious effort to make extra-curricular activities available to a wide range of people. I am part of the work football team and have been involved virtually since I first started the job. There are constantly emails circulating of office events that are happening.

Yes

EY is a great company to work for due to the benefits of working for a Big 4 company. Firstly you join as a part of a large intake so make friends straight from the off and never feel like you're going through something alone. Then you get the advantages of big social budgets and corporate discounts.

If you decide to apply for EY I would advise that you choose the department you're applying to very carefully and try research as much as you can. Otherwise, don't try to be someone you're not in the application process, EY are looking for particular qualities and these will be shown if you act natural.