Audit Trainee Review

I really enjoyed my work placement and I would recommend an EY placement to anyone else. The only negative would be the long working hours in busy season (Jan-March).

I really enjoyed the environment in EY and everyone was really friendly and willing to help. As an intern, there was a lot to learn and initially I did feel like a bit of a hindrance to my teams however, as the year progressed I improved my knowledge and felt more valued within the team.

I was assigned both a counsellor and a buddy at EY when I joined. I found the buddy system quite useless as my buddy never contacted me however, my counsellor was really helpful and approachable with any issues or concerns I had.

Working in audit, the level of work really differed throughout the year. Busy season was Jan-March and you could be working the hours of 8am to 11pm however after busy season and the rest of the year it is fairly steady work and you could be leaving at 5pm each day.

I was treated as a grad on my placement year so I was given a fair amount of responsibility.

What I have learnt at EY will be great for my future career and degree studies. I was also able to go to college and begin my accountancy qualification with EY which is a great bonus for a placement year.

The atmosphere was pleasant in the office. However, because it was a big office it is generally just a lot of unfamiliar faces. Also, working in audit you are very often based at client sites rather than in the EY office.

I felt that the placement wasn't overly well organised for such a big company. The man in charge of the placement programme left the company near the beginning of the placement year and so there was a long period without any organisation. Also, the social events organised for placement students were quite limited as there was only a leaving party organised and nothing else throughout the year.

I felt like EY invested a lot into my personal development. Not only did we receive lots of training but we were also put through the beginning stages of our accountancy exams which is a big investment in placement students.

The future employment prospects are very positive. The chances are you will be offered a grad role as long as you perform well on your placement and pass all the exams.

There were no social events organised by EY for placement students (apart from a leaving party). However, the placement group in London was very close and organised their own social activities. There were other work office drinks and activities organised by EY such as the Christmas and summer party.

The cost of living was extreme compared to the salary offered by the firm. Rent in London took up the majority of the salary and as a result socialising was limited because everything was very expensive.

Good, most companies did after-work drinks in the areas.

There were social clubs within the company however, these were not made known clearly to the placement students.