Audit Senior (part qualified) Review

My role has adapted slightly since I joined EY as I am now in my third year and have become a 'senior associate' rather than a 'staff/associate'. I am involved in audits for 3 clients which I have worked on since I joined. I am responsible for coaching new members of the audit team and reviewing their work, as well as preparing work myself. I communicate with the client and with the managers on the team as to the progress of the audit.

Yes, I have learnt lots of new skills as well as developed existing skills. I have learnt how to be professional and how to conduct myself in front of the client. I have learnt how to coach new team members and how to review their work. I have also learnt how to adapt my communication style with junior team members (who don't have much audit knowledge) compared to with managers who just want a concise overview. I have also developed lots of technical skills during my time working for EY as well as the exams I have carried out as part of my ACA qualification.

I really enjoy my programme as it has given me so many new opportunities and experiences, as well as so much responsibility at such a young age. I really appreciate this and think it has made me learn so quickly. However, I do find at times that it is very stressful and the hours can be very long. I love all the teams I work with and have been so lucky to meet so many new and nice people.

The programme is well organised. We have to sit 15 exams and log a certain number of hours in order to qualify. We therefore have regular communication from the exams team as to when our college time and exams are. They provide good support (alongside college tutors) through this process. We also have a 'counsellor' who deals with all our work related questions. We meet them regularly (roughly once a month) and this provides good support for any work questions.

As stated above, when you join you are allocated a 'counsellor' who is usually 2 grades above you (mine is currently a manager) who you can meet with regularly to discuss any questions or issues you are having. Your counsellor is also the person who represents you during the annual feedback discussions which decide who is performing the best in your year group. My counsellor is approachable and always willing to discuss things with me. The only problem is that she is quite busy as she is a manager and so it can be difficult to get hold of her. However, it should be noted that informal support (e.g. from other managers you work with) is very strong and I get lots of guidance from the more senior people I work with.

As stated above, there is an allocated 'exams qualifications' team who we can contact for any exam related questions. They can be quite slow to respond to emails however in general are good. We also can speak to our college tutors (through Kaplan college) who can provide support on the technical side of the exams. As above, I have also received lots of support from other colleagues who have already sat the exams I am sitting who are often willing to spend significant time going through questions with me.

My qualification (ACA) provides lots of background information which I use everyday in my job e.g. double entries, financial statements, different types of accounts. Prior to joining EY, I had no knowledge at all about accounting and without my exams, would not have been able to do my job to an adequate extent. It should be noted however that some exams are more relevant to me than others e.g. we have to sit law and tax exams which do not apply to audit.

Yes, we often have team socials for each individual audit team you work on, these tend to be smaller socials. As a more junior member of the team I have also been responsible for organising these e.g. choosing the venue and booking it; this was a good experience for me. We also have department socials (usually 100+ people). I am on the social committee for my department so get to help organise these. This helps you to meet new people within your department and make better friendships.

Yes

I would recommend EY because it is a very well known and well respected company. It therefore is a great place to start your career and a great company to have on your CV. You are given so many opportunities from such a young age which means you learn so much in such a short space of time. As well as the above, I have made some really great friendships at EY who I will stay friends with regardless of whether they/I leave the firm.

Prepare well for the interviews so you know what you want to say e.g. think of scenarios you can use from things you have already done which you can then apply to a question to show why you would be good at EY. You don't want them to ask you a question and you to suddenly be unable to have any prior experience to draw back on. I would also suggest figuring out what you think your strengths are and how you can apply these to EY. Also it is important to act confident and to be yourself.