Finance Graduate Review

Trainee management accountant - supporting the finance team with monthly, yearly and ad-hoc tasks, taking part in, and leading, various projects to improve processes and carrying out analysis on various metrics. Tasks include supporting with month end close and monthly forecasting, across cash flow, accruals, prepayments, capex and more by finding commentary, rolling forward and updating files and posting journals.

I have developed my team work, leadership and communication skills. Most notably, I have learned professional etiquette and how to work/survive in a corporate/office environment. I have also learned about the company, what it does and the various processes which companies follow from an accounting standpoint, such as forecasting, budget and statutory reporting.

The company and my colleagues are all really helpful and supportive, which makes the job much more relaxed and enjoyable. The Babington lectures are generally boring, non-engaging and largely useless. The role itself can be boring at times but has occasional excitement too which is to be expected from a 9-5.

Within Experian, the programme has been exceptionally well organised. The dedicated Early Careers team run training sessions and work with the Finance function to produce a development plan of the path we will take throughout our rotations. Within Babington, it feels like they would struggle to organise a bun fight in a bakery. There is no structure, no planning, no organisation and a general display of incompetence across the board.

As much as is required, and at times too much, as I often have catch up sessions where there is nothing to discuss because the question has already been answered by someone else. There are individuals assigned to coach, mentor and manage you who all take a genuine interest and a dedicated early careers team who are there to support with training and development.

Almost none. The sessions which are run are infrequent, boring, un-engaging, waste time with drawn out introductions and never feel like they have been planned at all. We are expected to learn using huge study texts full of information which isn't needed, or by watching videos which are outdated and occasionally have incorrect information in them.

The credit here should not be to the training provider, but to my colleagues who have helped with my understanding where the given materials have been lacking, and to my own work ethic to find additional materials where the given ones have been unsatisfactory. Completing the qualification has undoubtedly helped me to perform better in my role, by developing my understanding of the processes I am completing, but this has not been with thanks to Babington.

There are lots of activities to get involved in, although I have generally chosen not to attend due to other commitments and not being able to find the time to go. The socials which I have attended have been generally fun and always include some form of free food and/or drink.

Yes

The attitudes of the people are unlike anything that I was expecting from such a large corporate environment. Everyone genuinely cares, and are more than happy to spend time to answer your questions and help you if you need it. The company is flexible, and supportive if you need to make adjustments to the way you work.

Do some proper research into the company to find out what they do. It's not all just credit scores. They have a large majority of the business which sells products to other businesses which isn't seen by the general public, unless you look closely, and can be really interesting to see just how many Experian-influenced products you may have came across in your life.