Assistant Associate Review

I am an assistant associate in Global Mobility Compensation. My daily tasks involve reviewing our client's payroll output and answering any of the clients queries. These relate to my monthly role of running the payroll and creating payroll instructions which are sent to the global offices. I have daily interactions internally with members of the London team, but also with our Hyderabad counterpart, and other global Deloitte tax teams. I also have external interactions with the main client contact, and also the global local payroll contacts. I manage the live payroll processes and ensure that they flow smoothly. One of the main projects that I have been involved in, includes transferring some of our work and monthly processes to the Hyderabad team. There is a high work load to manage, but I have enjoyed my experience so far.

One of the main skills that I have developed upon is the use of excel. This has been strengthened by daily use, and also by internal training. Within my first month of joining, I attended a residential course which provided brief training on the necessary tax topics that would most frequently crop up on a day to day basis, only to be strengthened further by the ATT qualification which I have recently attended college for.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the team that I have been placed in. I have gained a lot of experience in a short space of time, and feel valued by the team. As part of the programme, I have recently rotated into a new team temporarily. Whilst this is a good way to gain more experience of the department as a whole, I feel it has hindered the ability to pick up more important tasks in my home team as I was only there for 6 months.

I have received internal recognition for my work done within my team from my senior manager by receiving a "limelight award" for my work done. Regular feedback is provided on how well a task was completed and how I could improve. Feedback from my engagement managers has informed me that I am a valued member who contributes extensively to the processes.

The initial induction and training was well organised, we knew in advance where events were being held and when so we could plan accordingly. Further on in the programme however, some organisation has lacked. Within my department, the brightstarts and graduates rotate after 6 months to a temporary team, and the details of our rotation was provided very last minute, with little information on how long this rotation would last etc. This meant that there was a lot of pressure to finalise our work in our original team.

Our qualification training has only recently started, and since then we have been provided with lots of training documents, revision sources and contact details if we have any questions. Their general attitude is that they are more than willing to support us with our studies.

We are allocated a "buddy" when we initially join who provides basic details and information. They provide information to begin with, however you don't necessarily work with them so they aren't always your point of call. Other team members however are always willing to assist so have been well supported.

My commute is an hour and a half, and due to the inability to afford living closer to work, this takes up quite a big chunk of my time. The salary as a whole has been able to cover my living and travel costs.

Social activities aren't extensively advertised, so it is difficult finding the opportunity to get involved. Company events and department events are well advertised however, so these are good to get involved in. Outside of work, I haven't been able to get involved in many events or classes, due to being unable to commit due to uncertainty at work, and the issue of commuting back home afterwards.

Yes

My overall experience since joining Deloitte has been a positive one. I settled into my new team quite quickly, and was provided with training to enable me to pick up the work on hand. The training provided for the qualification is of good quality and have the support needed to pass the exams. It is a different experience to the usual university option, however it is one I would highly recommend.

During the initial application process, ensure to be thorough. Make sure that there are no mistakes, and you explain everything in full as this is the first impression that you make. During the interviews try and relax, and build a rapport with your interviewer. Also, ensure to have some questions to ask. On the initial induction and training days, talk to as many people as you can and start building connections early -this will create more opportunities for yourself going forward.