Assurance Associate Review

The office atmosphere was excellent, and living a short walk from the beach was excellent. The job was challenging, but rewarding, and the work was incredibly varied.

This placement was one of the few where you were treated like a graduate - there was no differentiation between being a graduate or being a placement student. This even extended to sitting professional exams and starting on the 3 year training contract.

We were assigned buddies, mentors and career coaches. There are bi-annual appraisals and objectives / performances reviews after every engagement. At no did I feel that there was no guidance or support - regardless of whether my query was work related or more personal in nature.

There is a definate seasonal element to the job, but I was busy and valued all year round. Generally, when the work is quieter there are professional exams to be sat, or tasks to prepare for the busier times. There was also an excellent culture in the office that did not promote 'face time' - if you got your work done early, there was no problem with finishing early!

As much as a graduate, and as much as you could handle! There were always oppurtunities to push yourself harder.

They clearly helped as I got a 1st! I found that the general organisation and time management skills helped to ensure all my study was productive. The general knowledge that I gained about business in general definately saw me well and gave me an excellent pool of knowledge to draw on.

The atmosphere was the perfect balance of professionalism and friendliness.

Exellecent. Unlike many people I know, I actually had a proper job to go to, and was not just assigned 'busy work' for the first 6 months.

I sat my first 3 professional exams for the ICAEW, which was supported by residential and non-residential courses delievered by professional companies. I also attened soft skills sessions throughout the year.

I came back after my degree, so the short-term prospects are excellent. Looking further afield, there are definate prospects for promotion, as I have just been promoted to Executive. The structured process for promotion is there, all the way to partner.

There were 2 other placement students so the atmosphere with them was godd - but ultimately, you socialise with the whole office in general - regardless of your position.

The cost of living in Jersey was expensive (around £500 a month for accomodation), but the salary was high to reflect this (around £20k) and there was also paid overtime and a low tax rate!

The night life is very good - with lots of nice bars and a few night clubs - but beware that as it is such a small place, you inevitably bump into clients on a night out!

There were a huge number of chance to get involved in activities from sports to tree planting.