Audit Assistant Review

I perform audit procedures on client's accounts, by following RSM's detailed procedures and with the aid of more senior staff. A normal day for me starts with a call with my supervisor in the morning to set the work for the day, and work down the various tests for each area of the financial statements.

I've learned many skills throughout my time at RSM. On a more technical side, everything I know now about accounting and audit was learned through work and my time with BPP (the training provider), from basic bookkeeping to more complex ISA treatments, etc. In terms of soft skills, I've massively improved in communication and teamworking skills given that I'm working very closely with my team every day and speaking to the client also daily.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my time at RSM and the support provided in terms of my learning programme. COVID obviously brought about some challenges in terms of postponing some of my exams, but RSM has allowed great flexibility with bookings so I could still meet the deadlines in order to finish my apprenticeship on time.

From RSM's perspective, the programme is very well organised, with clear structure and support throughout from my office's ETM. From BPP's side, the programme is also well structured, with the slight issue of various admin problems I have encountered throughout my apprenticeship, usually around course bookings (there were a couple of times where I was supposed to be enrolled in a course and BPP missed this out). This being said, BPP was always quick to fix any errors in such a way that I didn't feel like I was negatively affected.

RSM provides very good support from various levels. The firm has a 'buddy' initiative where everyone will be assigned a buddy of a similar background so that is your first point of contact with you need any help. There is also the support of your line manager who will usually check in on you from time to time. Additionally, each office has an ETM who holds periodic calls with all the students to give any updates / hold a Q&A.

Apart from the teaching courses, BPP also provides a learning portal which contains everything you'll need to pass your exams, from questions to mock exams. BPP also holds quarterly calls with the student and their line manager to check in on progress, etc. If the student is not quite in line with targets, BPP will have further calls in order to hone in on any issues.

Learning about the more theoretical side of accounting through my training provider is absolutely essential in order to produce quality work. I've found that I put theory into practice every single day at work, which in turn means that my work is correct and accurate. Also, in my case, performing well in exams has also allowed me to take on more challenging jobs which is always welcomed.

Short answer is yes, however it's needless to say that in today's climate, social events have been harder to come by. RSM's London office is split into three social groups in which periodic socials are held, for example just recently my group had a virtual cocktail making class. There is also the annual Audit away day, in which the whole office attends some training courses in the morning and then has a fun social in the afternoon. The office has also held a Sports Day in previous years, unfortunately not in 2020 or 2021, but hopefully there will be one in 2022!

Yes

RSM has a great progression structure, great working environment and very interesting clients to work on. Although audit is sometimes considered to be 'dull and repetitive', no two days are the same at RSM and I look forward to whatever the day will throw at me at RSM. The offices are clean and sleek, and the people are great fun! On top of that, the benefits for working at RSM are great, both monetary but also socially.

The application process is pretty straightforward and very similar to many others, but definitely tailor your application to RSM rather than giving generic answers. Same applied for any phone or face-to-face interviews. In the assessment centre, don't take yourself too seriously, as this can often come across as nerves, which is obviously not great. Also, feel free to reach out to employees on LinkedIn. I have had a couple of people message me, to which I gladly replied and helped with any queries (in fact those two people actually went on to get hired!).