Audit Apprentice Review

On an average day, you will be assigned to a client and the team will hold a meeting in the morning to discuss how the audit is going. You will then be given work to complete or will have to reach out and ask someone for work for the day.

I have defiantly improved upon my skills using excel as i had little prior knowledge before the apprenticeship. I was also very overwhelmed when i first joined but things have become slightly more clear after a few months. Work still needs to be thoroughly explained to me beforehand and lots of questions are asked to senior staff to ensure i'm doing it correctly.

I didn't always have a desire to be an accountant/auditor and didn't really know what to expect when I joined. I have found it very stressful and mentally draining and there are many days when I get upset as I have found things unorganised or stressful. The college days and first exams included as I didn't think I would be able to learn all the required information before the exams. It's only because I failed them the first time that I got an extra 2 weeks or so to revise which helped me to pass. The college week was very crammed in and too short for the amount that you have to learn.

The induction week was fairly organised, especially as it all took place online which made it more difficult. The same can be said for the week at college. However, i have found everything since very confusing and unorganised which has caused me lots of stress. I find it very confusing how you're always changing teams and therefore managers and i never know who I'm supposed to reach out to for different questions or queries. I have been placed last minute onto stocktakes that i'd have to attend alone despite having never done one before or having clear instructions. So much so that it was a disaster when I arrived as I had no idea what to do and I was humiliated and I went home and cried. In my first week on a team I was given work and It wasn't explained to me clearly no matter how many questions I asked and then I was told I had done it all wrong. I think the programme could be more structed and more support could be provided when you join.

I have no received that much support and feel like things were not explained to me very well. As mentioned previously, being sent out to clients to complete work you have never done before and It took me 30 minutes to get in contact with the in-charge and caused me lots of embarrassment as it looked very unprofessional. In terms of client audit work, I have to ask lots of questions about what to do after work is given to me as it is never explained very well. i feel like some senior staff forget that you are new and don't spare the time to explain things to you.

You don't receive a lot of support as they rely on their online resources for you to use to prepare for exams. However the resources are unhelpful as they mark your answers wrong even when its right which is confusing and annoying when you need a certain % to pass that level. You also only got access to a online chatroom the weekend before the exam for one day, at which point you would like to think you are prepared already.

My qualifications hasn't helped me in my role other then to get a basic idea of different terminology. I was expecting to be applying what I've learned into my day to day tasks but this has not been the case. I do feel like i know more about the industry since i joined however I think its the hands on experience that has helped me not my qualifications.

There are lots of different clubs you can join and different interest groups to get involved in. I haven't joined any as of yet as nothing has peaked my interested. Depending on your team, you may be invited for drinks after work or for 'fun' activities such as quizzes in the day just to bond the team more. As a new joiner, there is a social club that arranges different events every couple of months, such as drinks or a meal out.

No

Since joining I have been very stressed and upset almost every day and I'm still only doing basic/easier tasks. You're thrown in the deep-end with little instruction which may work for some people but I found particularly difficult. You may be put onto jobs for the day that are a long distance away which you have to attend on your own despite the fact you don't know what you need to do which makes it very humiliating for you.

Make sure you research into the company before hand. If you are quite outgoing and can easily speak up/get involved with activities it may be great for you, however if you are introverted you may struggle to speak up and it is also difficult to know who to contact about different things. Make sure you are prepared to work overtime/long hours whilst completing exams. You get a crash course at college and are expected to complete your exams a couple weeks later so being able to manage your time but keep a work life balance is important.