Assurance Associate Review

My role varies highly day to day with what accounts and companies i am working on, but in general i will be examining information provided by the client, comparing that to their expectations and our expectations then performing analytical reviews and retrieving supports for information significant or suspicious to document and review

I have learnt a variety of new skills. My IT skills espcially in things like excel and PDF were not great prior to starting my apprenticeship but now I have improved greatly in this area, learning shortcuts and codes etc. My people skills have also improved from communicating with team members and client calls.

The programme has definitely been enjoyable, everyone i have spoken to has been lovely and always helpful, the work can be hard and long but that is to be expected. I have also built a strong support network with other apprentices from across the UK which has made the programme really enjoyable as i have met people i never would have met without it

The programme is very well structured, it has set dates for college, work and occasion study days, we can also request time off around exams out of our alloted holiday days. The training is very structured in an online classroom environment due to covid and the work i do is slightly less structured as it varies from client to client but on the whole the principles are the same and the structure is good

We receive plenty of support from our employer, i have a 'buddy' who is another apprentice in the year above me, i have a councillor who is meant as first point of contact for any queries etc and an apprenticeship coach for any queries relating to the apprenticeship etc. All staff are very accomadating when i request to finish on time/early for extra study due to upcoming exams etc

Kaplan financial have been excellent, we have a great online portal and all coaches i have worked for have been exceptional, all are available to message after the course and were very accomadating when asking questions even if they seem stupid at the time they make you feel good about asking those type of questions, really enjoyed working with them so far and receiving the large amount of support but a good amount of independance as well

My qualification in accounting should greatly affect me and allow me to perform better in my role as once i am qualified i am able to deal with more high risk accounts, have a better understanding of the audit procedure and also help my team out more but not needing to ask as many questions as i do currently due to being relatiovely inexperienced in accounting

There are many extra curricular activities where i work, obviously with covid these have been effected, we mainly have calls outside of work doing things like quizzes etc. But post covid i am aware there are many film clubs, book clubs and sport clubs, i will definitely be joining the football club as it seems like great fun and i believe we play against other audit firms etc

Yes

My start at EY has been exceptional, all the staff are so helful, very friendly and kind. The work is enjoyable and interesting and varies a lot from day to day. Its also a great opportunity to make some great new friends. The career prospects at my firm also speak for themselves in the internal progression you can have

Be yourself, EY is the most inclusive firm i have ever had the pleasure to work for and i have already met so many people from different backgrounds with different beliefs. I would also say the interviewers are more interested in the content of your character than academic things like grades, so focus on showing who you are and what kind of a person you are