Audit Associate Review

The placement was a valuable experience that will stand me in good stead for my future career.

It was difficult to feel valued when much of the work was carried out away from the main office and contact with main management was limited. I had to introduce myself to my line manager (who I had not met before) over two weeks into the placement.

I had two appraisals throughout the year. The first of which was carried out halfway through the year, and as a result of a difficult six months for the firm in Southampton my work had been limited, and it was difficult for them to appraise me. The office was going through a period of downsizing at the time, which meant that my workload between June and January was restricted. My second appraisal, which had taken place on my final day, did not take into account my final and largest job, which took place over my final seven weeks. My supervisor admitted to me that his grading of me in my final appraisal would have been substantially different had he taken this feedback into account. This highlights an inherent weakness within the appraisal system. Support was given to me by my specific in-charge accountants on each job and in almost each instance was adequate, and this was the main way that I received continual throughout my placement.

My workload changed at the turn of the year. The first six months of the placement were not very busy (for reasons identified above), however the second half was much busier as I was assigned to jobs and was able to work for significant amounts of time on them.

I was given more responsibility as my placement progressed. On my last job I sought greater levels of responsibility, and was the main point of contact for the job manager when the more experienced in-charge accountants were on leave. I was also able to train some of the new school leavers throughout the year, which I enjoyed. In most cases, I completed work which was pre-determined by the in-charge accountants.

I gained exposure to many different professionals and businesses in a wide range of industries. This gave me a greater appreciation of the multi-disciplined nature of businesses in general. I learned to effectively communicate and was able to experience first hand what life was like working in a top 10 firm of professional accountants.

The office was disbanded throughout the year. After a deal with a rival firm which left the audit team understaffed, it was by announced by the remaining partner that the current office would be disbanded and would be replaced with a regional hub, mainly as a place of contact which limited prospects for human interaction. The idea behind this was a move towards flexible working, where the people in the region would be working from home or at a client's, only using the hub as a point of reference or for meetings. These changes irreparably damaged the atmosphere in the office and as such, I was never able to feel like part of a team. The atmosphere did not improve before I left in June 2017. This was evident on my last day in the office as there were just two members of my team in the hub on my final day, who were not there out of choice.

Grant Thornton were extremely competent in the way they organised the work placement, I was treated as part of a new intake and as such was able to attend extensive training at Grant Thornton's training location with my peers.

My University required three forms throughout the year regarding for my goals for the year and personal development. I met with my people manager three times over the year to discuss these goals. The company gave me extensive training at the start of my placement (which is the same for all joiners).

The future employment prospects within the company greatly appealed to me. I had informed my people manager about my desire to guarantee a graduate offer for the same company in a different location, and was disappointed not to receive an offer because I requested a location change, despite being told by HR to clearly inform my people manager if I wanted to change locations. My manager did not seem well informed about the graduate offer process,

My time with the other placement students across the country was limited, but the time I spent with them at workshops was well enjoyed. In my office, the social scene was non-existent due to the downsizing of the office and subsequent poor morale.

Southampton is an extremely vibrant city with a throbbing nightlife. The cost of living was high in Southampton, and I did not feel that this was reflected in my salary, despite all the changes that had been put through the office. The work involved a lot of travel which meant that it was difficult to establish a routine and as such it was difficult to socialise.

See above answer.

I joined a local athletics club and trained with them where work permitted. This was a fantastic experience as I met lots of like minded and active people, which also gave me some motivation for some non-work activities, Despite having left the area, I still keep in touch with many of these people.