1. About me
Having finished University I was keen to follow a career in accountancy and settled on audit because I liked the idea of working with a variety of different clients in different locations. It also gave me the opportunity to work abroad and to gain a solid grounding of the profession. Out of all the firms I visited, Grant Thornton came across as the most friendly and laid back and were ideally sized to give me a wide range of clients and plenty of support.
2. My role
Even as a trainee I have had real responsibility and my work has been very varied, more so than in a larger company. I have even completed the whole of the fieldwork for a small company!
There is no typical day - although generally I start by checking my e-mails and responding to any issues. I then spend most of my time at the client completing audit work, which can involve anything from analysing a client's bank statements, to chatting to their finance director about any important issues I may need to tell them about. I am responsible for the fieldwork in a number areas which can be challenging but there is always someone senior to ask should I have problems.
3. Working Life
The training has been excellent and I have had plenty of time off to attend college and before the exams. If you're not busy in the office no one complains if you get your books out and study! Balancing work and college commitments with a social life can be difficult. However, it's rare that I stay late and have found that studying in a disciplined and structured way allows me enough time for a social life!
4. Career highlight so far
A highlight was spending two weeks auditing a client in New York! We had to work hard but there was still plenty of time to enjoy the Big Apple. It was a great responsibility representing Grant Thornton in another country as part of a small team and I was treated to some great restaurants and a fabulous hotel!
5. Looking to the Future
I hope to complete a secondment abroad and possibly experience the corporate finance department. Whatever happens I can definitely see myself wanting to stay within Grant Thornton - the people are fantastic. |
