Audit assistant Review

I am audit assistant. In this, my role consists of completing variety of tasks such as substantive testing, control testing and multiple other analytical procedures. It is very much client facing and requires a lot of communication with the client, thus requires good communication and confidence. My tasks consist of looking at variety of figures on the financial statements and in this we carry out analytical testing to gain assurance over these figures to make sure they represent a true and fair view, as for key stakeholders they rely on these figures to place investments. So it is vital they are accurate. Eg) We have to test the bank account figures, in this, we have to obtain bank statements and bank letters to gain comfort over the amount listed in the accounts. This is vital and requires a key understanding over what we are actually testing. As with the bank account figure, considering it is an asset, the risk is overstatement to help the overall assets figure seem higher than they originally are to help window dress the financial statements. In turn we have to reconcile these amounts and tie them back the amounts listed on the companies TB (Trial balance). We have clients all over the midlands and this requires a lot of travelling to and from client sites. This is great as it is able to let individuals travel from a young age and see different sites daily. In turn having a new fresh outlook on each day.

The first skill that have I obtained is my excel skills. Before starting KPMG my excel skills were below basic and in this I soon realised it was a key skill required as majority of our work papers have to be completed on excel. In this KPMG offered a multitude of training courses in relation to excel. I was able to learn and enhance new skills throughout my training, in this I have become extremely proficient on excel. In this I am now able to formulate cells, mapping and formatting overall. This is key as I am now able to assist other members of the team and in turn add value to myself as an individual. I have also been able to enhance my communication skills as my role is very much client facing. In this I have great interpersonal skills which I am able to use with the clients as it is key to have a good client report. It is key that the client understands what we require for our testing as it is quite time consuming if they are giving us information which is either not relevant or is not in the required format. It is key they understand what is require of them and with these communication skills I am able to explain in a manner which they can understand are happy with.

I really do enjoy my programme as I am able to create a wide range portfolio of different industries via different clients. I find it very interesting as I am constantly learning new things and meeting new people. In this I am able to build my network. One key thing which enticed me into this programme was the fact I am able to gain priceless experience as well as no debts as an alternative to university. I am able to put what I learn in my studies in context with my day to day work. I enjoy the aspect of that not every week will be the same in the sense with having different clients it means I am not at the same desk everyday likewise having different teams for different jobs. Thus giving me a fresh outlook on every week, which I believe is key as it is very easy to become demotivated in the same environment constantly.

I feel the programme is very well structured in the sense I have allocated college/study time as well as time for work. I think it is key to have the work life balance and this programme it is able to provide this which is key. It is quite structured in the sense it is a 5 year programme. However in this we have different qualifications. The first 2 years are with Aat and the remaining 3 years are with ACA. In this we are able to obtain a internationally recognised qualification. Through out the qualifications there are multiple promotions along the way which mean he have authority along with slightly more difficult targets to meet which are for personal development.

I feel there is constantly support available from a variety of different people. We have support from other apprentices/ graduates who were in the same position as ourselves. They are able to offer support for basic questions as they have the wisdom from past experience to give an objective answer. I felt managers and above are always willing to help as they understand the difficulty over studying and working at the same time. They are always willing to listen and help with other workload. They are also able to take time out to explain things if they don't make sense because they understand its vital we know why we are doing and have a clear understanding to be able to get on it with the work.

Our training provider constantly provides support in regards to working towards our qualifications as they have regular calls and set allocated hours for us to do our studying, making sure we have enough time to absorb the context and go In confident for our exams. We have calls ever so often to see how we are progressing to make sure if we require any assistance and we are able to contact them whenever we have queries. They are always sending us materials which will be useful for studies and in turn obtaining our qualification.

I feel it is very beneficial as I am able to learn the knowledge and with my work I am able to put it into context, which is quite useful to gain a solid understanding as practice makes better. In this it makes my understanding stronger over my role as I am I understand each figure on the financial statements and understand the risks behind each figure which in turn is key for my day to day work.

There are constantly social events where anyone can take part in our office. We have NCASS event ever so often where other apprentices from other firms also attend, in turn I am able to build my network with other individuals in the different firms. In this we also have sports events such as football, netball, table tennis etc which is a good social event to get people to relax and network with other individuals around the office.

Yes

The priceless experience and endless opportunities available by working for a big 4 firm. The amount of exposure I have gained is priceless and the types of people I have met, have been truly inspirational. You are able to make friends for life and able to work with very talented individuals.

Practice is key as with applications I found it was very intimidating and difficult. With practice it made me confident when it came down to my interviews. I would say research into the sector you are applying to, to obtain a good understanding off what your day to day work entails. Never feel you cannot get in as it is such a big firm. Always have the mindset to approach every challenge with a positive mindset.