Senior Associate Review

From the start of my third year at EY I took on the role of Senior Associate, and began a new role with more involvement in the organisation and day to day management of audit engagements.

EY run training courses throughout the year, both residential events and on the job courses, to complement the on the job learning and development. This is a job where you are constantly learning new skills. This year I have been developing my skills at a higher level, seeing more of how an engagement is run and communicating with managers rather than the more detailed work that I started with.

There is a very strong emphasis on teamwork at EY which is fantastic. Within each department there are 'families' which means that there are plenty of opportunities to get to know a smaller group of people well. It is very hard work during 'busy season' (typically January - March), but the rest of the year is reasonable and can be good fun.

As well as verbal appreciation, each audit team will typically go out for a meal or social event once the engagement is completed as a thank you to the team for their work. There is also a formal awards system for managers to nominate us for awards for hard workers!

The school leaver programme is very well organised with a clear structure. There is lots of support for studies and a clear progression route throughout the 5 year programme and beyond.

We are given study leave to attend college throughout the training course and there is lots of support from tutors, although the learning is a lot more fast paced than A-levels!

Each audit engagement is organised to have more senior team members for on the job coaching. You will also have a counselling manager to help with any other concerns and to help manage career progression.

Initially it would be difficult financially to live away from home, but the salary increases significantly after the second year, with increases as you progress through exams.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with beyond the day to day role, recruitment events, sports clubs, department social committees to name a few.

Yes

If you are set on a career in accountancy or finance then a school leaver programme is a great way to go. EY is a fantastic brand to have on your CV and will open plenty of doors upon qualification.