Auditor Review

I very much enjoyed working for Grant Thornton on my placement year. The welcoming culture here has made the whole experience very enjoyable. I was worried accountancy could be quite dry, however because of my team mates, the culture and all of the social events - this year has been far from that!

Very much so - although you are assigned slightly easier tasks at the start, you are still given a lot of responsibility. A perfect example of this is that when I work on jobs now, I am now assigned full companies to audit myself. This is a huge responsibility and one that I am very grateful to have been given.

To the full extent - I have a buddy who I can ask simple questions, a line manager who I can ask anything relating to my role/place at GT and job managers who I can ask for guidance on specific jobs. On the same note, I have also been assigned a buddy now who I can mentor, which is motivating for me. Any questions regarding this programme I can take to my line manager.

Very - I was worried because of my inexperience that work would be drip fed. However, I was always kept busy - which was perfect for me Working days vary due to time pressures, some jobs will allow early finishes when running ahead of schedule - while others will require overtime in order to get things over the line. The mix of these jobs was perfect.

A lot - at the start I was given smaller pieces of work, however as my experience allowed I was given more and more. I am now at the stage where I am auditing my own subsidiaries within large companies! My work is reviewed by managers and partners, however it is ultimately my work that is taken to the signed accounts, which are a statutory requirement in the UK.

I believe very much so, not just the accounting aspects but also the working life skills - ie time management, email structure and organisational tips. When I go back to uni, I feel that these skills will help me very much in my degree. However, I think they will serve me best once I finish uni and I am back working in a professional environment.

The atmosphere was always casual and friendly - there was no tension if anybody walked in late or wore a funny tie etc. Because of the 'flexible working' policy, people effectively choose their own hours. This leads to a great environment to work in, people aren't as stressed and are able to manage their work/life balance.

Very well organised - there was a clear structure in place. this was evident as I was assigned a buddy when I started, who had done a placement year at GT but was a year ahead. There was a clear structure in terms of the year and the training we would be given. We were assigned jobs months in advance and it was a fine tuned scheme.

A lot - I received over 3 weeks worth of training over the course of the year. Rather than simply being used to generate revenue for GT, I was actually being trained, This was great because it shows that the firm are committed to investing in me, with a view to taking my back on after university.

Very - there is a clear hierarchy of progression. This is great because you know exactly what you need to do in order to get promoted and progress through the firm, it isn't possible to stagnate in your career at GT due to all of the performance reviews and pressures. This is perfect because I know exactly what I need to do to get to where I want.

The placement students don't separate themselves from other employees. Employees tend to hang around in groups according to their age, as a result I spent a lot of time out on socials with many graduates and school leavers. This was great because I met a range of different people and really enjoyed our varied group.

Quite high - living and going out in the centre of Manchester certainly wasn't cheap. However, the increased cost was certainly worth the experience. Rent ranges from £700pcm to £1200pcm, obviously this is quite high as it's a city centre. However, the wage I was paid gave my enough money to afford it and still socialise.

Brilliant - our office is in spinningfields, which is notorious for it's bars and pubs. Although quite expensive, it was a great place to work and socialise. We would regularly finish work in the office and then swing by some of the pubs and bars on a Friday, especially during the festive period. I would definitely recommend working near spinningfields.

Yes - GT organise many events not related to work, such as charity fundraisers which include runs, bike rides and even parachute jumps. Additionally, they hold a nation wide office football tournament in a different city each year - I am going to be playing for the Manchester office this year which I am very much looking forward to!