Audit Review

I really enjoyed my three week placement as it gave me a good insight into the work a graduate student would be doing if they chose to work there. It gave me a chance to experience a career in Auditing with Deloitte, and a chance to work with clients straight away.

Whilst working at Deloitte I felt very comfortable with my co-workers. They were very welcoming and quick to ask if I needed anything. My buddy I was assigned was very helpful with answering my questions and very quick to respond to a message when I wasn’t working in the office with him.

I was assigned a buddy before starting who was very helpful answering my questions before I had begun working. Whilst on my vacation scheme I was always working closely with someone and they were all eager to help if I had any issues. They made sure they explained everything to me thoroughly and to check I understood the task I was doing.

Whilst on my placement I had to give a presentation as part of my final interview to be able to advance into the graduate role next year. This helped me to develop my skills in talking and presenting a topic in detail, this has been useful in my last year of study where I have had to complete a group presentation to an audience. It helped improve my confidence when talking to new people and talking in front of crowds.

The vacation scheme was very well organised and on my first day in the office I found out where I would be working for the next 3 weeks. This was very useful especially when organising transport to the different locations. I was also told who I would be working with so that I could get in contact with them to find out information about the project before I started.

There was a 2 day training weekend to start the placement. This was for all students on the vacation scheme nationwide. This was a great opportunity to mix with other students about to start the scheme and we all got some training. Once in the office we had a day of IT training where all students ‘Skyped’ into a conference call and followed instructions on screen. We also completed a quiz on the computer to test our ability to read information about Auditing and answer the questions about it. This was helpful because it was easy to see what we knew and explained the role we were about to do.

Whilst on the summer vacation scheme we undertook work that the graduate students do, this made it very obvious what was expected of us and what our day to day role would be if we got the graduate job. Whilst working with students in the year above it was clear to see how the role progresses and what work you begin to do in your career with them.

Whilst working on the summer vacation scheme it was easy to see what a day would be like whilst working in Auditing for Deloitte. I enjoyed the work I was doing and it made it easier to understand the job role whilst actually being able to complete tasks alongside other employees.

The training weekend required driving to Birmingham and getting the train back to Southampton. I was reimbursed for both the car journey and my train journey. 2 weeks of my internship was in a town a train ride away and I got all my train tickets refunded. I was also paid for my 3 weeks of work, this was on a £21,000 pro-rata rate.

The training weekend allowed us to network with other students in our situation and there were also employees of the firm there. Some current graduates came along to answer questions we had and to tell us their experience. Over dinner we had a chance to talk to them in small groups and to ask any further questions we had.

The training weekend included a 3 course meal and free wine/drinks on the tables. This was a great way to socialise. As the weekend was held in a hotel we had a chance to stay up and mix with the other students from all different universities and chat. On my first day in the office we were taken out to lunch by our buddy so we could ask questions in a more informal environment.

I would definitely recommend the summer vacation scheme to anyone considering a career in either Auditing or with Deloitte. It was a great opportunity to meet the employees and experience first-hand what it is like to work for them. It can clear up any uncertainties you might have about a career.