Trainee Associate Review

On a day to day basis, I am mainly assisting seniors. I don’t have much responsibility. My main role as of now is to gain as much experience doing a range of tasks. An example would be performing the testing of expenses or claims and premiums (this is Insurance specific). I also attend a lot of team meetings and pick up a lot of new terminology and insight on what managers, seniors and other staff are doing. I have also attended clients meetings. I work from home two days a week (Monday and Friday) and the rest I’m expected to be in, either, the office, the client’s office or EY Canary Wharf. EY pays for the transport, hotel, dinner and breakfast during my stay. Sometimes I’m expected to go for coffee runs which is basically getting coffee (free) from any coffee shop for the whole team (including myself). I guess this is something first years are expected to do.

I have learnt how to use Excel and I’m still learning new things everyday. I’ve developed my communication skills especially through the use of emails. I’ve learnt a lot about Assurance: test of controls, details, assertions, SCOTs etc I’ve learned about work papers, walkthroughs, minutes, project management, time management eg. getting tasks completed before deadlines or end of day.

I get to work a real job whilst working toward a really valuable qualification that will broaden my career prospects and what I can do with my life. That being said, I wish it were shorter in length. It is a very long apprenticeship: 4.5 years. That’s a lot of commitment to make especially as a teenager. But it helps to remember that experience at a Big 4 firm and being a fully chartered accountant can land you in many other roles more suited to you in the future. I enjoy the structure of the programme. The exam dates are set out and you’re given study leaves. When at college you aren’t expected/required to complete any client work which takes one less thing off your mind. The pay is somewhat great, relative to other accounting apprenticeships. I think there is a lot of opportunity to go really far up the ranks at EY if you choose to stick with them.

It is well structured. My only pet peeve is the length of the programme. I’m currently 18 so when I finish I’ll be 22 going on 23 and this is assuming I pass every exam first time. You are assigned a counsellor and apprenticeship coach to discuss your apprenticeship with. You have regular catch ups to discuss how you’re getting on. I haven’t failed an exam yet but if I were to, I would have a meeting with my counsellor to discuss strategy for the next exam. I believe you can fail a maximum of three times. College and exam dates are set out for the next two years so it is very organised.

In terms of exams and college I think it’s sufficient. There are many websites and people you can get help from regarding your studies. We are also given study leave. In terms of work I don’t think we are given much. I was “thrown” into a team and I don’t think many people (at least in my case) realised (still realise) that I came straight from college. I am grateful for the experience as I learned to take the initiative and reach out myself. It was a bit difficult to understand how everything works at first. But it’s nearly my 5th month and I feel like I know the ropes. I had to remind myself that it wasn’t my team member’s job’s to explain everything to me. But I’m lucky that a lot of 2nd year and 3rd year grads helped me out. Even my manager took some time out to explain concepts to me.

There are a lot of avenues for support at EY. They make it very clear that you can talk to your counsellors if you have any issues regarding your apprenticeship. You can also talk to your “buddy” who is an apprentice that joined the year before you. So they have experienced everything you have. The training provider has great teachers. You are given access to many resources (physical copies of notes and question banks, online books and question banks, mock tests) the teachers always send out copies of their notes after class through email and make it clear that you can ask them for support on any questions you find difficult.

I have learned a lot of knowledge relevant to my line of work through my first exam, Assurance. I don’t think it has helped me majorly though. It has helped me to understand WHY I’m doing what I’m doing at work

There are a lot of “socials” you can attend throughout the year. I went to a social where we all went to a VR place and went to a restaurant afterwards. It is always paid for (unless stated otherwise). So it’s a no brainer to attend because of the free food. I know of people who play for sports teams. You can definitely find people who enjoy the same sports as you. There are also networking breakfasts and lunches (free)

No

You’ll gain a lot of valuable experience and a Big 4 firm is always great to have on your CV. There is guaranteed opportunity for promotion within the firm if you perform well. There are loads of financial benefits and the salary is competitive. You might get to travel to other cities in the UK (for free). The only downside to this job is the holiday policy about “no holidays” from January to April. You are also expected to work 15 more hours a week during busy season which I can imagine will take a heavy toll on my mental health. The work life balance will be hard seeing as we will be working longer and aren’t allowed to take leave. This is the main reason I won’t be staying at EY once I qualify.

• Know who you are and what you want. Work on your personal branding • Don’t go into the interview without researching. Look up the ACA qualification and research what it is that auditors do. Link it back to your studies (trust me, you can always find a way to relate it back to what you studied) • Look up the company values and come up with examples of how you display them. • Ethics is very important at EY make sure you bring it up. • Ask the interviewer real questions you have and show genuine interest in their career. They have a lot of wisdom and you can pick up a thing or two even if you don’t get the job this time you applied or you end up getting an offer somewhere else. • so cliché but be yourself! • Be presentable and look put-together for your interview. Also work on your communication and listening skills. •If you’re nervous, work on breathing techniques and remember to project your voice. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion when in a group assessment.