Trainee Associate Review

I am in the audit department so as part of a team we have to work to check that financial statements are free from material misstatements. We use different technologies to check the figures in accounts. In my first year I have been responsible for auditing sections such as cash and trade receivables/payables. I am coached by those above me but am expected to be able to work fairly independently. Most days we work on site and interact with clients.

I have become a lot more confident and am happier to approach new people since working with EY. My computing skills have also improved as we work with packages such as Microsoft excel daily. I also feel although I have developed my 'soft skills' in that I am better at communicating with others to get my point across.

There is a lot of work to get through in a short amount of time so often I do feel quite pressured. I feel it has been a fairly big jump from being in school as I have a lot of responsibility for my tasks which can be stressful at times. However, I think the EY people make the job a lot more enjoyable. Everyone is friendly and super helpful. We also have a lot of different social events out of work to mix and get to know each other.

I feel my programme is fairly well organised. I sit ICAS exams and the dates for each of these exams are set well ahead of time. We then have days booked off either to attend class or to study from home. It can be hard trying to balance studying with working on jobs though and so sometimes I can find myself having to catch up with learning at the weekends.

I feel well supported by the people that I work with. If I ever have any concerns I know that I can let them know and they will do what they can to help. I was also assigned a buddy when I joined who is a useful contact for any random questions that I might have. Furthermore, we have counsellors who check on our progress both in our exams and in work.

I think that it was a big jump between school and ICAS simply because of how independent learning at ICAS is. I found that classes are useful in getting a good understanding of concepts but that the classes are very rushed so I do not take everything in. We also have some self-taught courses that are done online. Again, I think the content in these courses are good but that they underestimate how long they will actually take to get through. I feel although I could easily speak to lecturers if I was ever confused about anything and that they would try their best to help me.

I think that my qualifications gained through ICAS considerably helps me to perform better in my role. I have some background knowledge in accounting from doing higher accounting in school but as you do not need any prior knowledge before the job, doing ICAS exams really helps you to understand the methodology behind what you need to be an auditor.

I know that a lot of boys at work hold 5 aside football games every week. There is also an EY women's network which I am part of and many other networks. We have social events every few weeks- leaving drinks, big gatherings between offices, Christmas lunches and parties etc.

Yes

If you know that you want to be an accountant, following the apprenticeship route to do so saves so much time and money compared to going to university in the first place. Not only do you get so much valuable on the job learning but you also get to work with loads of incredible people.

Do a lot of research into the company to see if you think they are right for you. Make the most of attending recruitment events to speak to people in the job to get a better understanding of what we do, as I know that when I started the job was not at all what I had expected!