Business Apprentice - Audit Review

I am in auditor, in the assurance service line. I work with a number of our clients auditing their financial statements.This involves travelling/ liaising with different clients and performing the adequate tests on the financials and individual accounts to ensure they are true and fair and free from material misstatement.

My communication skills have increased significantly, it is important that i know how to adapt to different audiences e.g. peers/ partners/ clients. My role is working in different teams on different engagements so learning how to adapt to different peoples working styles and teamwork is something I really have to consider.

My programme is enjoyable as there are many social aspects with peers and within the different service lines. There are also travelling opportunities within the UK and many training opportunities. it can be stressful at busy times and sometimes hard to juggle work and exams too, but overall it is enjoyable.

My Programme is very structured, I have a database I can access which shows a clear path of my apprenticeships programme which includes when I will be taking my exams. However, the placing of the exams don't always fit in with work deadlines. There is a designated team too who help to organise the programme/ keep us up to date.

I receive a lot of support from my employer. Since starting you are already allocated a support network being assigned a buddy and a counsellor. I can approach anyone in the office asking any questions I need and for anything more formal we have a designated counsellor to help with anything. We have to meet quarterly or more if required/ desired to ensure I am developing well and to help with anything should we need it. We also have an apprentice coach who supports us.

Kaplan financial are very supportive, making sure you have the resources needed to complete the qualifications and have access to online materials. there are options to contact a tutor and try out mock exams on an online platform. For a lot of my exams recently they have been 'home study' - for these I have missed having a teacher in a class/ online environment to help with the material, instead you are left to work through the material by yourself. but if we have any questions there is help there.

Immensely, by going to college and learning the theory needed (and in my line of work there are a plethora of rules and regulations that have to be adhered to) it is beneficial seeing it in practice. by working in the profession and having first hand experience of the accounts of a business I felt as though the exams made a lot more sense as I could relate to the situations/ have seen them before.

There are many extra curricular activities to be involved in at work. There are work football/ cricket teams and a variety of different networks e.g. family, black and Muslim network. There are regular socials within the teams and service lines and bigger events with the whole office such as the Christmas party. There are also a lot of student recruitments and professional networking events to be involved in.

Yes

Due to the answers given previously, the training programme itself is prestigious and a great alternative to university, I do the same work and am in the same position as if I was to go to university but without the debt. it is a lot of hard work and late nights both working and studying but I am sure it will all be worth it in the longrun.

Do your research, know the company exactly what you are getting yourself into. Attend as many events as you can - student recruitment talks/ events especially those tailored to the programme you are looking towards. work hard with your alevels and try and do some work experience, to enhance your knowledge of the company and to also have more to talk about in your interview.