Audit Associate Review

Working in a team to audit a large company's financial statements, checking their reporting is good enough to go ahead. Audits generally take months so we work on little parts at a time, often in the finance offices of clients.

Loads of important skills are constantly practiced: interpersonal, communication, organisation, cooperation as well as more technical analysis. There's always more to learn and it can progress at a pace comfortable to you.

There's a lot to look forward to, both short and long-term so I'm always motivated. After 6 months I've started producing real work and have learned the satisfaction I often get having accomplished my tasks.

I like the job so don't mind how focused my role is, but the training aspect is not well organised: the off-the-job training is almost made up and the external training provider has been unreliable.

There's a network of support across all levels: I feel like me and my peers have been often reminded of whom we can trust and reach out to no matter the problem - from personal to technical issues, there are always multiple people ready to hear you out.

Resources are often ambiguous and misleading so could easily be improved, and although the teachers are clearly knowledgeable they mainly recite rather than explain, making learning sometimes difficult.

Professional qualification is fundamental to this role and it encompasses a wide range of subjects in the field, opening many doors of opportunity along the way.

There are a variety of events, though due to the seasonal nature of the profession they are not spread out throughout the year evenly, which is easy to adapt to.

Yes

Once in the company, the support provided and potential progression allow you to really build a career that can go wherever you want - literally and figuratively - as long as you put effort in. An apprenticeship here is a great foundation for a successful future.

Do research on the profession you are applying to and make sure you've heard from others who have been through the same process - events are often held across the country and there are people hear from in person.