Vacation Student Review

It was overall an enjoyable experience as I not only learned about audit and the nature of work at big 4 but made good professional connections. The people at the office were very friendly and made a lot of effort to make me feel welcome and comfortable. The general environment was quite easy going.

I was given a significant amount of responsibility. The work I was given made me feel like I was adding value to the project. I was constantly asked questions about how I felt regarding the scheme. I was also given the opportunity to get involved with the work that I wanted to do.

Everyone was extremely helpful and always open to questions. I was assigned a buddy which was quite helpful. Every task was quite well explained before being assigned to me. The in-charges made sure that I had proper commute available to the client's office. They were also very prompt at giving me valuable feedback.

I study Economics so the work was not very much related to my degree. I had also studied accounting before which made me feel quite excited about the work as I was employing my accounting knowledge in real projects. Therefore, I think the scheme could be vey helpful to students studying degrees related to accounting and finance.

My schedule for the program was already in place before I joined. I had been assigned a client for every week of the scheme and had access to my schedule which helped me in keeping things organised. I was given a document which included the objectives of the scheme which made the scheme very productive. Feedback sessions were arranged at the end of every week.

The atmosphere was quite easy going as everyone was very open and helpful. Audit rooms were never boring as everyone cracked jokes from time to time.

From the very first day, I was given client work. I did a lot of testing work which comprises a big part of audit. I was given support regarding the use of the audit software. I also liaised with the client directly. Overall, by the end, I had a fairly good idea of what full time work would involve.

By the end of the program, I had a very good understanding of audit work as I had worked on a lot of different areas. I also learned about the work hours and away jobs. Therefore, I am in a good position to decide whether audit work is for me or not.

I was reimbursed for all the expenses at the client's site and was given a £5 allowance for lunch which I think is very generous. While at office, the canteen was subsidised and the there was an allowance of about £3.50 for lunch. The pay was also very good for a vacation scheme.

There was a social event organised for the vacation students in Bristol. However, I did not attend because it was held in Bristol and it would have been hard to commute. There was an office social held at the Plymouth office during the British Firework championship which was a great way to socialise with my colleagues.

I feel like this program is ideal to find out about the work at big 4 and learn about audit. It greatly improves interpersonal skills in a professional environment and gives you a good idea of wether audit is for you or not. Therefore, I would highly recommend this insight.