Audit & Assurance Industrial Placement Review

Daily tasks would involve: Picking samples, documenting audit evidence, rolling forward prior year memos, updating working papers, attending meetings with clients, taking minutes, daily stand-ups, administrative work. Generally there was a lot of interaction with clients and there was a lot of communication within the teams.

I think my organisational and soft skills have improved, and I think my overall office etiquette is better than when I began. I would say that I'm more comfortable reaching out for help and communicating my daily problems and/or objectives.

During the first six months a lot of managers were very reluctant to give me much responsibility, and the work I did was very limited, I learnt very little, and the longest amount of time I spent on an engagement was usually only 5-10 days. During the last six months I started to get longer bookings which could last months - during which more responsibility was given to me. This was quite a difficult process, as I felt like I had learnt very little during my first six months - however I was expected to know how to do many things which I had not been taught how to do simply because I had been working there for a couple of months.

It would depend on the team I was working with. I worked in some teams where there was absolutely no support what-so-ever and where I often felt like reaching out for help was discouraged. In other teams, however, some coworkers were exceptionally helpful and where I was encouraged to be more forthcoming with my problems. When I first began I felt like there was virtually no support or guidance, however towards the end of the placement I felt like this improved.

Generally it was really poor. It seemed to me that no-one really wants to have a career at Deloitte and that it's just a means through which people get qualified, get experience, and then leave as soon as possible. One AM earnestly told me that joining Deloitte was the worst decision of his life, and another AM would frequently insult our manager behind her back. Some of the managers have a really bad habit of micro-managing and expect more than I believe is realistic and it isn't uncommon to see people working until late at night.

I'm glad that I did my placement and I think that it was good for my personal and professional development, however I did not enjoy my placement at all. Since the work isn't very fulfilling, my day-to-day enjoyment of the placement was highly dependent on the team I was working with.

No

Be prepared to work very long hours, and try not to take anything that clients or managers say about you personally. Also remember that whether or not you enjoy your time with Deloitte very much depends on the teams that you're working with. Try to brute force support from your team if you have to, since some might not be forthcoming with help or support.