Audit Placement Student at Grant Thornton

So far I am in month 3 of my audit placement at GT. It's been a busy start, I've enjoyed working in different places and being client based, meeting new people and staying with other placement students in London was a great way to break the ice, and make friends with colleagues. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first 3 months so far.

Considering I have little experience, I have been given great responsibility and a lot of work to do. I have been provided my own sections and made a massive impact towards the audit, everyone is very friendly and welcoming, and they also treat you with respect. Who you work with makes the difference.

You do have to ask a lot of questions, and you have to find a lot of things out for yourself, which can be tricky when you're new, but there are always people to ask. During the work itself though, you get a lot of training and help with each section.

So far, I have been very busy with the days going by very quickly as there has been one big client to work on, but as we are now in the quieter season it can dry up and you may have to look for things to do, it depends on where you are based.

I feel like I have been given a lot of responsibility, from the start I was chucked in the deep end given my own sections. It's a good thing to have it that way, and if you get stuck you just ask, having so much responsibility makes you feel like you're actually making a difference.

So far, I have found working in industry very beneficial, as all of my studies for my degree are collaborating with some of my work. I'm also starting to get a better understanding of different areas and getting real life examples to things that I have learnt. Audit is a great way to expand and test your knowledge.

So far, I have only been in the office 3 times... So it's hard to say, but when I have been there everyone is friendly and some people are chatting, but everyone seems to be getting on with their work which is good. With audit you tend to be more client based, so you find you're meeting new people all the time, which obviously affects the atmosphere if you don't know many people there.

So far I feel like it has been well organised, from the first week of training to my future clients and current client. I would've preferred to have trained / been more in my own office rather than another but it's good to travel too. All your future jobs are planned too months in advance so you can plan ahead.

A lot of time is spent in training, especially your first week, and first few clients where you get time to get used to the software, everyone understands! Also, you get to go to Bradneham for training many times throughout the year, which is great as you see all the other placement students.

They tend to take on most placement students, as long as you do your job and give 100%! They don't want a reason to not employ you, hopefully a job offer will be received. There are a lot of opportunities to progress too, and into other sectors if you want to try something new.

So far, everyone is very sociable and we all get along... there are also many social events and trips away such as the GT football tournament and the social events on weekends! As you train, you also stay away with your colleagues and if you work away you will most likely go out in the evenings

You tend to work in the area where the client is based so it varies on where you are... or if you are training then it depends on the location of where you train, overall though in the south west area it's a decent cost of living, it depends on how you spend your money.

In the South west area / when you work away / if you train in London, then the nightlife is very good. In London especially, it felt like every day was a Saturday, each day it would be rammed everywhere. I would recommend working in London if you wanted a busy schedule.

There are many opportunities to get involved, from charity work, to football, to social events. there are also ball events which you can attend, and if you want to meet up with people from any office then that is very easy and very likely! There is always stuff going on, and you can suggest your own activities.