KPMG 360 Apprentice Review

KPMG's 360 Apprenticeship allows new joiners to rotate in different areas around the business and get a taste of each area for around 6-12 months. Currently I am in Tax apart of the Transfer Pricing division, and the team treat you with a lot of responsibility very quickly. It is an intense but a highly rewarding apprenticeship, where you will be required to study, take on client work for your team but also to get involved in corporate social responsibility events and of course there is time for social events with colleagues too.

I have developed so many new skills since joining KPMG, some of these being: Increased amount of confidence in general; Soft skills, such as listening and speaking in public; Time and work management; Technical skills relating to the programme; Taking pride and responsibility for the quality of my work. These are the main skills I have so far improved or developed whilst being at KPMG.

At this current moment COVID-19 has impacted the nature of the programme, delaying rotations and exams which does come with uncertainty, however none of this is KPMG's fault and the communication between the apprentices and the firm has been good. Before COVID-19 I had really started to settle in, I had gotten to know my team really well, and was enjoying my work as I was getting more responsibility. The CSR events are fun to do and I feel really supported here.

The structure of the programme is clear from day one and it is very well organised. You will be told of all the different pathways and what you need to do to achieve them, right upto Level 7 qualifications. There has always been a clear pathway in terms of exams and rotations.

KPMG is a fantastic employer who really care about employees wellbeing, there are plenty of initiatives and events surrounding wellbeing including roles such as Ethics Champions. In addition the support provided in the COVID-19 pandemic has been really good, ensuring that everybody can work from home comfortably and not having a rushed mindset to return to the physical office.

We receive college tuition and all the materials for free, there are portals with plenty of help, practise questions and papers to help prepare you for an exam. The tutors are highly knowledgeable and always want you to ask questions if you are unsure about any part of the syllabus. Overall I would say the support has been fantastic in this regard.

At this current moment as I am in Transfer Pricing, there isn't much knowledge I can apply from the exams as of yet, however fellow apprentices in Audit have said there exams have helped so much with there work. For the higher more technical roles the Level 4-7 qualifications will be more suited as it dives deeper into accounting and tax accounting.

There are an abundance of extra-curricular activities, for example I've played in five a side football games before for the Tax department. In addition Tax have held multiple socials to reward a job well done. In my team socials are encouraged as it is great to build a good personal rapport aswell as the professional relationship. Also there are plenty of networking events and CSR events to get involved in at KPMG and we even have a 6 day volunteering balance to allow us to give back to the community.

Yes

If you are looking for a high level apprenticeship in accounting or economics then KPMG is the perfect place for you. You have no debt, you gain experience at one of the biggest firms in the world. There are still plenty of opportunities to socialise so you still get a university feel to it. The people there are fantastic you feel supported from everyone, partners down to apprentices. All of your exams are paid for and you are paid a highly rewarding salary.

Be yourself, be willing to learn and be willing to network. You show these three things and I guarantee that if you successfully land a job here then you will succeed in one of the most complex, fascinating industries in the world. You will have a lot of fun doing it too.