Assurance associate Review

The work varies from day to day. As a staff member on an audit team, you may spend a day looking at one area of a client's accounts (for instance testing if what a client states they have in cash agrees to what the bank says they have). You may join calls to discuss questions with the client, and have team catch-ups. You work on various tasks, however guidance is always given by your team on how to complete everything.

I have learnt a substantial amount of skills for completing audits, thanks to the exposure you get into completing the audits yourself rather than just learning from a textbook and not applying your knowledge. I have gained communication skills, as well as improving my coaching when teaching newer staff how to complete tasks.

I enjoy my course a lot. I enjoy the variety and having responsibility for my own areas of the audit. I enjoy the culture at EY, and how sociable my department is. I also enjoy college, which whilst it is hard work working full time and revising at times, it is very rewarding and there is lots of support available.

The course is well structured to balance working on clients, having internal training, and completing the ACA qualification. As an apprentice (assuming the course you would take does not vary to much from mine) you will begin taking one exam at a time, then will take two exams at a time (for which you are better prepared once you have learnt the style of the exams by doing one at a time).

There are many points of contact and support at EY. You are allocated a 'buddy', who is an employee who has some experience at EY, which creates an informal relationship where you can ask any questions. You are also allocated a counsellor, who also answers any questions you have and helps you direct your career, and you have an apprenticeship coach who supports you throughout the whole apprenticeship.

Kaplan is a very good training provider. They provide many useful resources for revision, including textbooks and online on-demand lessons and tests. They also offer services where you can ask tutors questions most times during the week. I believe they provide great tuition and help significantly in gaining the ACA qualification.

Gaining the ACA qualification gives substantial information on how accounts are prepared, as well as gaining an understanding of business, law and possibly most importantly ethics. Ethics must be applied at all times when working in accounting and audit, so this is tested thoroughly. The understanding of accounting is crucial for completing audits, and the ACA qualification prepares you for that.

EY is a very sociable company, with many sports team and other clubs available to join. My department has a social committee which arranges large scale socials for everyone to enjoy. Additionally, there are sports clubs you can get involved with (for instance there is a football club, netball club, badminton club, skiing club, and more). They are fun to join, and anyone can join. There are also many networks to explore.

Yes

EY offers a course where you can gain a well recognized qualification (for me this is the ACA qualification), learn fast whilst on the job, and enjoy a fun sociable environment. It is nice going through the apprenticeship with many other apprentices as you can enjoy the course together and help each other.

This is a great course for fast tracking your career, with so many perks along the way. However, given the nature of gaining a qualification whilst working full time, it is not always easy. Be prepared to work hard, but remember that you will have fellow apprentices and many points of support within EY who who support you the whole way. The hard work is definitely worth it though, and I highly recommend this apprenticeship!