西瓜视频

My role as an audit corporate assistant for the asset management department varies during different stages of the audit process as well as the project you are assigned to. On a normal day, a senior or assistant manager will contact you to discuss work for the day/ to discuss progress of work and expectations will be set. There may also be communication with the client to discuss what we need them to provide/ any other questions. During the 'fieldwork stage', responsibilities include setting up 'lead sheets' to display work as well as preparing testing of samples to the companies financial statements. During the completion stages of the audit process, first years will be asked to complete various templates as well as an overall check of the financial statements for errors.

I would say the largest skill developed is communication, especially when working on a large client where the team is quite big. This is to allow the audit process to move forward smoothly and so that seniors know status of work. Another key skill learned is definitely excel and the various shortcuts. The company do provide training on this but a large amount is learned from day to day just from completing the work. The most important skill learned from this role was professional scepticism and the ability to have a questioning mind. This was learnt from day to day due to the nature of the role as you are constantly checking that the evidence the client has provided is reflected in their accounts. This questioning mind allowed me to really gain attention to detail and a high quality of work in general.

At the start of the placement, there is a lot of training so that as a first year you are able to get up to scratch with how auditing works and just the general nature of the corporate world. During this period, I also worked on clients and I was heavily supported on what to do. Once the main training period finished, and I entered the infamous 'busy season', certain responsibilities were placed on me. For example, I was given the responsibility of a number of areas for the client I was working on. However, there is support from the seniors and the managers. The responsibility did increase throughout the year which really did enhance my placement experience as it made me feel like I was truly making a difference.

There was a lot of support throughout my placement especially from the seniors and assistant managers on the various projects I worked on. They would consistently check in on me and my work as well as general conversation. We were provided with a 'placement pathway' document at the start of the year which outlined the various key points throughout the placement such as exams, trainings and performance review dates. There is also support from the early careers team who deal with exams, trainings and general queries regarding the placement. You are provided at the start of the year with a line manager and a buddy. My line manager initially was not as helpful, however he eventually left the firm a few months after my placement. I was provided with a new line manager who was extremely helpful and would consistently check in on me to ensure that I was doing well. The buddy system works so that at the start of the year you are introduced to a second year who understands what it is like to join the firm as a new joiner. This helped me out a lot as I felt that I had someone to relate to.

Everybody was really friendly and helpful. Although there would be expectations to be work, communication with people was key and everybody was really understanding of whatever situations might be going on. The office can initially feel quite intense as everybody is quietly working, however conversation is encouraged. There are also break rooms on every floor which were really helpful for ensuring that morale was kept high. Especially the pool table :)

I did really enjoy my placement as I met some great people and was thoroughly supported during my time here. The work was not too challenging but did take some time to grasp, however the quantity of work can eventually pile up which can put pressure on first years. However conversations with seniors and management really helped me to ensure that expectations were set/adjusted. I gained key skills and a real benefit was the first year of ACA.

Yes

I would say when applying to take time on your application to really tailor it to the company. Ensure that the ACA is researched fully as you spend a lot of time studying for it. Ensure that you are organised and can handle various responsibilities at once as you would be expected to study whilst also having client work to complete.