Audit Apprentice Review

My role as an Audit Assistant involves completing various audits within our Banking department in our Financial Services capability. I write up documentation, assess risks and perform risk control as well as carrying out testing over our audited entity’s business processes. I tend to work on any given client for a few months and switch teams to where I am needed.

I have further developed many skills such as my communication, literacy and time management skills, as well as how to take initiative, be assertive and manage expectations. I have also gained new skills such as how to effective engage in client interaction, my technical audit language and IT skills such as using Excel on a daily basis.

I would say that overall, I do enjoy my programme and I have learned a lot since I started. If I could go back and change anything, I wouldn’t- I have and will continue to learn, valuable skills and lessons, gain incredible experience and gain a qualification that I have always wanted but thought would take me a lot longer to achieve. Everyone has ups and downs in their career journey and there have been times where I’ve felt stressed or frustrated but I have managed to work through it and the sense of accomplishment I feel when I get good feedback on some documentation or when I pass an exam, makes it all worth it.

My programme has a clear structure which I really appreciate. I work best with structure and a good support network. This programme offers both. My employer is really good with ensuring that when I am on study leave, I have no ties to my work and can fully focus on my exams. When I am at college learning, my training provider invest a lot into us and it really shows.

I receive really good support from my employer. They are fair when it comes to me taking study leave and are flexible to work around my schedule for when I want to take said study leave. They also make it clear to only sit the exam if you’re fit to sit and if you’re not, then it’s up to you what you want to do (but if you sit it, you’re saying that you’re well enough to). They are also good at supporting students who don’t pass an exam first time and let you resit it again.

I receive an adequate amount of support- I wouldn’t say as much as I would like. When it comes to in-person classes, they are very good but online could use a bit more development in terms of further support if you have questions after the class. Our learning hub is excellent though and we have quarterly review calls with a supporting officer who talks is through where we should be with our programme, where the individual is, our next steps to staging on track, answering any questions we have, and it’s all minuted, sent straight to us shortly after the meeting! Overall, it’s still very positive.

It really does build my fictional knowledge which I can then apply to my work. I am still learning the fundamentals and foundations of accounting but it’s helped make work so much easier to understand, now that I can see the back end and theory of the practices I’m seeing at work.

There are a wide variety of social activities and networks to get involved in. I myself am on the Chair Committee of one of our networks, and that’s within of me joint our firm 6 months ago. It just goes to show that regardless of your level you can get involved. I am also an active member of two other networks, and am on a peer mentoring scheme as well as a professional development course on coding that is offered for free by our firm.

Yes

The firm values and ethos, as well as the people here, just make this a great place to be. When I first joined KPMG, the number of people I’ve met that have been here 10+ years was crazy. When I asked them why they’re still here, they said the people. And now I get it. It’ll be my first year in October and I’ve learned so much, made new really good friends and found my feet here. We have really good employee benefits and a good working culture (depositor what people may think of audit!)

I would say it really let your personality shine through. Everyone I’ve met here at KPMG are well rounded, genuine people with different personalities granted, but at the core, good people. We all have the key skills, valuable experience etc. so what makes you stand out, is who you are as a person. And that’s who KPMG hire. I wouldn’t say I had the savviest, most intellectual and impressive interview with my firm, but I connected with people. I laughed with my interviewers, complained about Scottish weather with the Directors- all the regular things that people do when they’re talking with each other. Yes it’s a job interview so be professional and present your best self with all the skills you have developed and experience you have gained, but don’t forget that it’s another person sitting across from you/on the other side of that screen. They have to do probably 50 or so of these interviews, give them something to make yours interesting and memorable.