Business Apprentice Review

My day to day involves supporting the work of more senior members on an audit by completing tasks relevant to the audit. This will focus on a particular section of the financial accounts. I will also be be expected to liase with the client should there be any queries or questions we are unable to solve ourselves.

I've learnt a plethora of new skills in the job. Almost everything I know about accounting has been learned on the job or through training. I've also picked up various vital skills to any job such as communicating, team work and effective work planning. Overall I'm a better worker since starting.

The programme can be a mixed bag. It's a lot more manageable in the earlier years however as time progresses the training and work requirements begin to steadily increase leading to more burnout. A person who can effectively manage their time and finds it easy to say "no" will have a much better time than a people pleaser.

There is a loosely defined roadmap for qualifying. Due to the nature of balancing work and training requirements one might expect delays now and then but the years stated on the job listing are generally accurate. Training courses will come as convenient, rarely at the expense of any client work that needs completing.

My employer will provide study leave for training for each exam. Each employee has a counsellor who is their first port of call for many things related to the job. I have seen some disability adjustment for those who need it but can't comment at length. Most other employees seem ready to provide guidance when needed.

The employer financial cover for training, books and necessary travel. As well as this for some exams you will receive study leave to help you pass. Kaplan have been broadly good in terms of the quality of tuition provided. They make good resources and their tutors are generally responsive to queries.

A lot of the time the training can feel a bit divorced of the actual job, but that's more to do with auditing rather than the training. The training often has the greatest benefit in helping me to understand the importance of the work we do and figure out why the client has done something the way they have.

There have not been many recently for obvious reasons. However in the past a handful of different events would be happening each month such as fantasy football, breakfast club and bingo. As well as this there tended to be quarterly big events where most of the firm would spend the day somewhere.

Yes

I think the experience that EY provides is probably one of the best avenues for young professionals into accounting. I feel that over the years my knowledge and capability has steadily developed and I feel more ready for my role each day. It also seems that once I qualify more options will open up thanks to some of the prestige the company holds.

When applying to EY I would recommend attempting work experience in the accounting field beforehand if at all possible. A lot of people suffer burnout quite quickly as they have no love for the work and can't continue like that. It's a highly involved and stressful job, you have to really feel as if you're ready if you're going to join.