How does the environment at EY compare to the environment of other big firms?

Hi Jack! I have had the lucky opportunity to work at PwC, KPMG and EY so far! I would say all the firms are very big and excellent in their own way but for me, EY had a big focus on diversity which was important to me. Also, I felt that the 'people culture' here was great compared to my other experiences. Everyone is very friendly regardless of level in the firm and there are countless opportunities no matter how new you are!

Hi, I was just wondering which company would be best suited if I wanted to go into chartered accountancy?

Hi Sumail, You mentioned EY has a focus on diversity. Can you elaborate more on diversity at EY?

Hi Christina, there is a big Diversity & inclusiveness agenda at EY. That agenda consists of amazing things such as 'Smart futures' which provides opportunities for people who are coming from backgrounds such as living in an area where going to university rate is very low. In terms of diversity, EY are very open and amazing when it comes to accepting people across all backgrounds and cultures.Walking around the firm you often meet people from all cultures which really stood out to me and was important.

My pleasure!

Hi Sumail, thank you for answering.
What is the ACA qualification and which year will I need to complete it? I am currently in year 12.

Hi Amina, if you are looking to join the EY School Leaver scheme then you start studying towards your ACA qualification as soon as you leave school. This will consist of studying and working your day-to-day job. The ACA qualification is essentially what you need to learn and study to become a qualified chartered accountant under 'ICAEW' . Here is a link to learn more https://www.icaew.com/learning-and-development/aca.You would complete this in 4.5 years from the age you join. Here is a link to the school leavers scheme https://ukcareers.ey.com/students/programmes/apprenticeships. You will need to apply to this in year 13. If you want to join as a grad then the scheme is 3 years for you to be fully qualified,.

Is the course for 4.5 years or 3 years? Alongside that, after I receive my qualification will I need additional work experience in order to reach the highest paid bracket for chartered accountancy?

4.5 Years if you join as a school leaver. So essentially if you join straight out of school and you are 18- you will be fully qualified by 22.5. Where as if you join as a grad, you would then qualify at the age of 24 given your university course is 3 years. Hope that makes sense!

Thank you, which one would you recommend to do?

Depends on what you want, to be completely honest. If you want to have a degree and want the university life then by all means go to uni! Personally, I wanted to be a chartered accountant as quickly as possibly, so for me it made sense to come as a school leaver. The benefits for me were that I would qualify 1.5 years earlier than anyone my age. I would have earned a good salary across my 4 years compared to being in debt if I went to uni. Also the apprenticeship is considered to be 'Level 7' which means that it is equivalent to a 'Masters degree'. So it just made sense for me personally but depends what you really want Amina. One thing to note is that no one treats you differently if you are a school leaver and not a university student. You both end up at the same place ultimately.

Haha. I completely understand. Took me a couple months to choose. I would recommend you sitting down and just making a quick advantages vs disadvantages list for Uni and the School Leaver route. Be open minded and just think about what will work for you more. Do let me know if you have any questions about being an apprentice.