Trainee auditor Review

Although there was a lot to learn, working at Ernst & Young gave a lot of opportunities to try new activities and allowed the person to manage their work how they like, all in all they gave real responsibility during the placement year which was appreciated.

Within the group of industrial placement students, it did indeed feel like a family as we had all of the induction week and month of college together. This was helpful to have such a large and varied group of people to talk to throughout the year. Additionally the people in the office that I worked in were friendly however rather busy so it took a little longer to know and socialise with everyone.

I had a buddy before starting who I could informally chat to with any worries about the placement, this calmed many nerves before it started. I received guidance from my manager in the form of setting out a plan for what I wanted to achieve during the year and there were regular meetings throughout the year to ensure that I was on track.

Due to the nature of audit, it was very busy between January and Easter, this is called 'busy season'. During this part of the year there were long days and a high load of work to do, however it was appreciated by the firm of this so during the summer the high work level eased off and you were able to be more proactive in finding projects to do which was rewarding. Overall it was a very busy job with quite long hours and occasional working at weekends but it was appreciated and the way it was set up ensured that everyone was motivated and happy to help.

Straight from the start my opinion was valued and I was given projects on my own to do. Many times I was in charge of arranging meetings with clients and going over there by myself and reporting back my results.

My skills improved greatly due to studying for professional exams during the time there. This has helped me alot as my degree is in accounting. Additionally training was provdided throughout the year at stages to ensure that no task was out of my depth and so I was prepared.

The atmosphere in the office was quiet and people were very focused on their work. Audit means however that most of the time you would be out the main office on audit teams where the dynamic is much better with for example people bringing food in on different days.

The internship was well organised with an induction week at the start for all the placement students all over the country. The placement had many levels of support who I could turn to if I found it tough (which were not needed!). There were many catch-up events throught the year and the placement team were always keen on how they could improve the experience for the next year.

The time and money invested in the ICAS exams was high with over a month for studying. This was due to a high number of people been offered permanent positions with the firm after the placement year.

You needed to demonstrate that you could meet the high expectations of the firm to get offered a graduate position however the majority if not all the placement students got offered a position.

Since we knew each other very well from college there were many nights out with fellow placement students in different cities. The graduate team also ensured that throughout the year there were a number of socials in London.

The office I was in was Birmingham and so there were a multitude of bars to go to after work and at weekends. The cost was not that high compared with the salary earned and especially compared to the lack of money as a student!

The nightlife in the centre of Birmingham was good however due to the nature of the job and the fact that an audit could be anywhere within quite a large radius of Birmingham, it would mostly be at the weekends or Friday nights when socialising would occur.

The hours were long and unpredictable so it was difficult to join a club or a class on a set day without missing a few however there were many clubs with the main one in the Birmingham office being the Football Club.