Public Sector Audit Industrial Placement Review

I really enjoyed my job. It gave me knowledge that I would not have gained from university in external and internal audit. I believe this knowledge will be valuable for my fourth year at university and in my career progression. I feel that the work I have completed will allow me to stand out from the crowd when I apply for jobs in the future.

From the first day, everyone has been so helpful and treated me like another graduate. I have been given challenging work to do which I believe has enabled me to develop my skills further. I could not have asked for better colleagues to help me with my work.

Coming into this placement with no knowledge of external or internal audit I thought would have been a challenge. However, all of the staff that work at Mazars have been unbelievably helpful and supportive. I have been able to complete work that people of a higher level have completed in the past which has allowed me to develop my knowledge.

For the period I completed internal audit I was very busy each day. This is due to tight deadlines that need to be completed. Because I work in public sector external audit we have periods that work slows down due to deadlines being met. In this period work has been quite slow however I have been able to use that to my advantage as I have had time to complete my placement portfolio for university. Before the deadline has been met there is a lot of work that needs to be completed on a daily basis.

I am amazed how much responsibility I have been given on my placement. Before I started I thought that I would be doing easy tasks for the year however I have been given challenging work to complete and been able to build a rapport with clients. I have been supported through my work therefore nothing has felt overwhelming.

As I have an audit module in my fourth year I believe my placement will aid me substantially. I feel that I have gained an unforgettable and irreplaceable experience that will help me in my future career; especially since I have received a job offer from Mazars.

As my office works from client's sites, the main office can be quite quiet. However, if you go to the main office when there is a town hall meeting the office is full and has a great, friendly atmosphere. Especially when we are raising money for charity by having cake bakes and darts competitions. At client's sites you have to be respectful of the client as you want to maintain a good reputation however, all of the staff that I have worked with are very friendly and always up for a chat.

After completing my interview and assessment centre I was notified I received my placement offer within a few days. I believe this was a brilliant idea as it doesn't leave you waiting. Starting my job - I received my laptop and training on the first day which allowed me to understand how the systems worked and what work I would be doing over the coming weeks.

I could attend as many training sessions as I wanted and as a trainee I attended a training course in Milton Keynes and Birmingham to be introduced to the company and the graduates nationally. We also attended a conference in Daventry to be introduced to our management unit nationally. These courses increased my knowledge and allowed me to build a rapport with colleagues I may not work with on a daily basis.

Near the end of my placement I was asked if I could extend my contract for a month to help the company with the busy period before I went back to university. For this, I received a bonus which was a nice perk. I also got asked if I wanted to return after I finished my degree and was offered a retention bonus if I return. My goal for completing a placement was to get offered a job, and with Mazars I was able to fulfil my goal.

As my office covers the North East it is hard to organise social events as people live in different parts of the country. However, we all go out for a Christmas meal and drinks as well as a celebration afternoon/evening for us completing our accounts in record time. We have went out for food and drinks a few times and as we sponsor Yorkshire Cricket Club we have attended the cricket for a night out.

I work all over the North East therefore I am paid expenses for mileage and travel costs. If I am working away from home I am also reimbursed for meal and accommodation costs. This is a great perk to the job. The North East isn't really an expensive place to live compared to Southern parts of the country therefore I would recommend getting a job here.

I live in Newcastle and it has the best reputation for nightlife in the country - therefore it is definitely advised to go out and enjoy it while you are here!

I have volunteered to help CIPFA with their student games which involved working with sixth form students from local schools as they managed a council for a day. This was great fun and a nice day out of the office! As a company we also do a lot of charity work with our CSR days therefore I have helped local charities for a day and helped to raised money for them.