Senior Associate Review

Audit of companies financial statements - Testing and analysis of accounting records/treatment to ensure compliance with accounting standards and that the financial statements are free from fraud or material misstatement.

Continued in a client facing role, taken on more team leadership in latter year as moved to Senior associate. New skills are all focussed around audit and understanding and auditing financial statements and accounting.

Very little, extremely long hours for little pay or recognition. There is no concept of personal commitments and even less given to time for studying and exams. There is little sympathy from management who are not at all understanding and are only concerned with output.

Chaotic, each years intakes for the last few years has followed a different exam path. There is not much guidance on the pathway and little to no time given to help achieve it.

None. When reaching out to managers for help it falls on deaf ears, left to our own devices for exams whilst ever increasing workloads are placed on us. Exams pathway take a backseat, pay falls well below other firms and standards. There is no support given to ensure exam passes and left at a disadvantage if anything due to workloads and not being given time to focus on our pathway. Graduates get far better treatment getting much more time physically away from work to focus on their pathway.

Kaplan has been very supportive with in person lessons being back on and of great quality. Tutors there are highly approachable and make them selves available to contact outside the lesson periods too meaning any issues or queries we are able to resolve. They also provide a student support team which is virtually always accessible. Learning materials a of a high quality and really helpful for studying and learning.

The qualification is critical in performing better in my role. The qualification incrementally builds an understanding of what we are working on and with. In order to improve in my role it is vital to understand the principles and treatment of what we are working on and so the qualification is the process of doing that.

No - Even if there were events there is no time available to attend them. Their main concern is hours charged.

No

There is a near toxic environment where the only concern is hours charged. Any genuine concerns or issues raised are responded to with D&I calls or announcements on how they are focusing on more D&I, which far from addressed the problems and only goes to exasperate it by ignoring it. Personal lives cannot coexist with the role and the qualification, being open and honest does not do any favours and the working environment is far from a happy and prosperous one. The place is detrimental to ones mental health and wellbeing, not to mention the horrifically low pay which falls well below that of graduates doing the same work. I would not feel comfortable recommending to someone to work here.

Dont - While you will come out of it with a great qualification and meet some fantastic people, a lot of which will become friends, it doesn't offset the sacrifices and pressures put on you. I would seriously consider alternative pathways to the ACA qualification.