assurance associate Review

My role involves auditing businesses financial statements in order to make sure they give a true and fair view for stakeholders. This involves testing on multiple different accounts and risk areas for many different types of businesses including Energy providers, Insurance providers and Retail clients. Much of my work is completed on Excel

Yes i have learned many new skills including organizational skills which have allowed me to make sure the accounts i have been given on an audit can be completed in the most efficient way possible and i would save i developed my people skills which i already prided myself on.

I Love my program as i didn't enjoy uni but knew i wanted to be chartered. This is allows me to gain valuable work experience from a young age whilst going straight into my professional exams. This has given me confidence in the program as i was also classed as a top performer in my year and was the first Belfast apprentice to receive a performance bonus.

It is very well structured as EY have vast experience with helping people achieve a high skillset in terms of audit work, This combined with Kaplans ability to get people ready to sit ICAEW exams means the structure is always clear and i know when i am in class/work and have exams

The support received from my employer is great. This was evident at the start of this year where i had to take some time off due to my mental health which was suffering due to working from home i have since completed a phased return to work where i was supported all the way through.

Kaplan are brilliant in this regard. I maybe didn't take advantage of the support as much as i could as i already sat an accounting A-level and was comfortable with the material but when it came to new stuff they couldn't be better in terms of teacher support or sources to self help

I don't think that is necessarily the goal of the training provider as when you are studying for your CA exams you work in an area to complete your training contract and the exams are expected to be passed. That being said when i completed the audit portion of my exams it helped immensely in my work

Yes there is many networks which you can join including, golf societies, women's networks and various others. There are also social nights where you engage with you 'cluster' which can be anything from pizza making to escape rooms. There has also been a year group catch up initiative.

Yes

Well i actually did recommend it to my friend who came in through the Grad scheme. This was due to the many travel opportunities, the constant progression and salary increases and potential to meet massive clients for future opportunities. This combined with a great working atmosphere is hard to not recommend.

I would advise that you dont need to be a maths or computer whizz to do well in audit. What you need is great people skills and a learning attitude which can accept taking time to hone your craft as an auditor and be in some situations which can lead to big growth as a person.