From student union plaudits to external audit!
After graduating with a degree in Accountancy and Finance from the University of Glasgow, I took a year out to work as a Student Sabbatical Officer at one of our student unions. I did this for a few different reasons - partly because I believed it would allow me to develop both personally and professionally, but also because I was passionate about bringing change and making the university a better place for our student community. Ultimately, it was a move which allowed me to gain some incredible experiences: from planning and hosting my own awards ceremony to travelling to China as part of a quality assurance review.
After this unexpected sojourn, I was left with many potential career paths - however, I decided to join EY (who had been incredibly supportive when I decided to defer my initial offer to pursue my sabbatical role) as an Assurance Associate. While I'm only three months in, I haven't regretted my decision for a moment.
I work as an Assurance Associate with some of our major clients
I have worked as an Assurance Associate since joining EY in September 2024. After starting my career with a block of ICAS study, I have been assigned to some of our major clients, as well as working with several others on inventory observations.
There are two things about my current role which really stand out to me. The first is the variety on offer. I think there is a stereotype about audit work being really boring and repetitive, but that hasn't been the case at all so far. Of course, there are some tasks you'll enjoy more or less than others, but overall there's a real diversity of experience. No two days are the same - in the space of a week you might go from testing a control, to interviewing a client, to visiting a completely different site for a stock take - so there's a real opportunity to learn more about your strengths and what you value from your role.
The second thing is the people I've worked with, and how friendly and welcoming they all are. I was really worried when I first started that I wouldn't be able to understand what was going on in my engagement, or that client staff would be difficult or look down on me due to my lack of experience. This couldn't be further from the truth. I think it's worth remembering that everyone wants to see you succeed in your role - my engagement team have definitely gone out of their way to make sure I have all the knowledge I need to do my best.
It's all about people
One of my main motivations in my role is working getting to work with amazing people, both within EY and at our various clients. I've always been really passionate about helping others, and you really do get the opportunity to do that here. It can be as simple as helping your team by showing initiative in flagging errors or completing paperwork, showing one of your fellow new starts how to pick samples for their first stock count, or simply checking in with a colleague after a long week. But it can also be much wider than that. I think it's important to remember that auditing isn't just a tick box exercise - the work we do matters, and can make a genuine difference not just to our clients and the people who work there, but also wider stakeholders who rely on them.
Another side of this is that, because of the way EY is structured (with graduates and business apprentices starting every year), after a year in your role you're no longer the newest staff members! You'll have the opportunity to become a "buddy" and help guide a new start in their first few weeks/months in the role. This is something which really appealed to me personally - and after all the help I've been given by my buddy, I'm really motivated to do the same for the next class of associates!
If in doubt - ask!
Something I've learnt a lot in this role - as cliche as it may sound - is that whenever you have doubts about something in your line of work, it's best to ask for a second opinion. Especially when you're new to the role, it can seem a little embarrassing having to ask a question every five minutes (for me, the one that stands out is having to ask whether I was allowed to use the office milk with my afternoon cup of tea), but there's really nothing to be afraid of. Everyone wants to see you do well - your manager wants to see you develop; your team want you to contribute effectively to the engagement; and the client wants to make sure that they're getting as much as possible out of your audit.
Something to keep in mind is that you'll be working with people who were in your shoes not too long before you! On my first engagement, I've been lucky enough to work with my assigned "Buddy" (a member of staff a year ahead of you in your programme/apprenticeship), as well as a "Senior" (a newly qualified member of staff, usually with about 3-4 years of experience). They've been really good at reminding me that they had the same questions a year or two previously. You'll also have other graduates/business apprentices at the same stage as you - make sure you help each other along the way!
Small steps can be big achievements too!
I've only been at EY for three months, and so I've not really had the opportunity to gain any huge personal achievements. Having said that, I still think I've managed to achieve a lot within my role so far. It's really satisfying knowing that I've contributed a lot to my engagement team - we're quite a small team, and have a lot of work to get through, so I've definitely had to hit the ground running from day one. At first, this was really daunting - I'd spent years studying accountancy, but having to actually apply those skills on a large company was a completely different kettle of fish. Looking back now, though, I can see how much progress I've made and how much I've helped the team - which is an achievement I don't think should ever be underestimated.
Away from EY, my biggest achievement is possibly hosting an awards ceremony in my previous job. As someone who was terrified of speaking in lectures when I started at university, I didn't think I'd ever be able to speak in front of over 100 people, much less enjoy the opportunity. It was a moment which let me reflect on how much I had developed in my previous role, and it filled me with confidence for starting my EY journey!
