Audit Apprentice Review

On a day-to-day basis I work as a member of an audit engagement team, receiving coaching on all areas of audit and having the opportunity to take ownership for certain areas of the audit. I regularly rotate around engagements which allows me to gain insight into a wide range of businesses and work with many teams. It is policy to work either in the office or out on a client-site each week, which offers valuable time for learning and collaborating with colleagues, and the opportunity to build confidence and communication skills for dealing with clients. As part of our contracted hours, we additionally spend time at college, receiving taught tuition in order to prepare us for our examinations.

The fast-paced work environment and high-quality tuition from BPP has created a great environment to push your learning and encourage you to be curious and explore many different areas of knowledge which will help in the day-to-day job. Although the amount to learn can be overwhelming, colleagues and tutors are always supportive and available for any assistance.

I thoroughly enjoy my work and find it challenging and collaborating with colleagues and clients fulfilling and a fundamental part of the role. I feel that I am always encouraged and am always offered opportunities for growth. At peak times, it can be difficult juggling both engagement work and studies making it hard to maintain a work life balance. Hours can far exceed the contracted hours, but the company and teams make effort to ensure people's wellbeing and arrange a wide range of social activities.

The structure of the programme is very clear and has been well set out. The pace of the exams feels manageable and structured well around busy season. I have struggled with communication from BPP in regards to changes to the programme structure, but hope that now it has been clarified that it will be more straightforward in direction going forwards.

I feel well supported by employer, with many different channels of support always open if I need it. The coaching available on jobs is always useful, making me feel confident when approaching tasks and trying to gain a deeper understanding of the work to be done. At times, it can feel difficult to establish boundaries when working for time to study and it can feel like it is not always respected.

The support received by BPP is well thought out, with regular points of contact in the form of progress review calls, tuition, and the availability of tutors for ad hoc questions when required. The course materials are well set out with lots of practice questions available. The online hub makes tracking process easy, with a support page which directs you to various channels of support.

The AAT Level 3 FAPS exam was highly beneficial when first entering an engagement team as I felt that it equipped me with enough basic knowledge to build on as I began to work on a client engagement. I do however wish that further tuition was given prior to starting on engagements or perhaps that the exam element of the AAT Level 3 was completed more quickly.

KPMG are really effective in organising a wide range of social activities which covered a broad range catering for many different interests and requirements. Teams are always proactive at scheduling in debrief social activities which might include dinners, activities, drinks, and input from the team as to what they would like to be organised is always encouraged. There is always the opportunity to ask for a budget for a social event (whether this be for an engagement team or for a specific grade). Socials have been a great way of meeting people of all departments and grades in the office

Yes

The high challenge and high support environment at KPMG has made my time really enjoyable so far and most importantly have really helped me thrive in my professional qualification studies and on the job skills. Learning from industry professionals has proved invaluable and is something I missed at university. I do not feel that by taking the apprenticeship route that I feel disadvantaged against the graduates either as we end up with the same qualifications, only on a five year vs three year course.

Ask questions and connect with current and prospective employees to gain a true insight into the nature of the business and life here at KPMG! Often asking about someone's experience of a sector is far better than any research on the internet and making the initiative to make connections is invaluable!