Wealth Advisory Assistant Review

I'm 5 months into my placement and am still finding the job highly enjoyable

I am treated the same as everyone else in the office and we receive regular feedback, almost all of which is very positive. I do feel like I am valued individually and as part of the wider team.

I have weekly catch-up meetings with my 'buddy' (a mentor who oversees my training and development and offers additional help whenever needed) and also monthly meetings with my line manager. I suffered a loss within my family and the support I received from my colleagues and supervisors was incredible.

Every day just flies past. Workload is very very high but enjoyable. It can sometimes be very stressful but I have the support of the rest of my team who are always able to help out if needed

I believe I've been given lots of responsibility, I regularly have important work for key clients where I am trusted with seven-figure cheques and it is my sole responsibility to make sure it reaches the correct place and is invested accordingly.

I'm not too sure if the placement will help me with my studies but I have gained and strengthened many skills that will aid me in future life/work. Time management is one of the most important skills in the role and I feel like I have improved vastly in this area. I have learned so much within the 5 months I have worked at Grant Thornton and am still learning new things every day.

I was really expecting the office to be quiet and rather depressing (just going off the general stereotype of accounting firms), however, I couldn't have been more wrong. The Wealth Advisory department in Sheffield are a massive team and the atmosphere in the office is incredibly friendly, it can be loud at times but it doesn't impede me from getting my work done. Everyone gets on well and we see each other outside of work as well.

The first two weeks of my placement were mainly training, everything was very well arranged and run smoothly. Having a 'buddy' helped enormously as the amount of training we were having on different things could sometimes be a bit overwhelming and it was nice to have someone there who could help me at all times. One thing that really stood out was how willing every single person in the office was to answer any questions I had, I think literally everyone told me "There's no such thing as a stupid question, if you have any queries feel free to come and ask me". There were areas that could have had improvements but my manager was very aware of this, myself and the other placement student are currently working on a guidebook that will make the new starter experience even easier.

The company has invested in us fully, the amount of time that has been given up for myself and the other placement student's development is quite significant. We have also taken on extra roles within the department. Rather than feeling like a placement student, I am made to feel like I have secured a full-time role with GT. I have been given the opportunity to apply for a different position in the department already, I didn't get the role but the feedback I received on why I wasn't suitable has helped me identify certain areas I can work on to develop.

Very appealing, I think that Grant Thornton are a fantastic company to work for. The new Shared Enterprise scheme that has been introduced is very exciting also. Due to Wealth Advisory being a relatively new department the team is constantly growing and new positions having to be made, so career wise it is very promising.

There is only one other placement student, however recently a lot of graduates have joined the team so I'd expect the social scene to get better. We do go out as a department for food and drinks about once a month and every Friday we go to the pub for a drink

Sheffield is very cheap so living costs are low. I pay about £330 a month for rent. There are plenty of places to go out to eat and drink with the majority of places being affordable.

The nightlife in Sheffield is really good. Fortunately I have friends at Sheffield University so I go out on student nights occasionally. Most weekends there are good events on with some big names playing. Tuesday Club at the unversity union is a very good night but the Wednesday morning is very very difficult so I wouldn't recommend it often.

There are charity events and sports teams that people at work get involved in, however, these are mainly football teams and as a rugby player doesn't really appeal to me