Fiona
Office: London
University: University of Leeds
Degree: BA Music
Describe a typical day in the audit department:
There is almost no such a thing as a “typical day” in the audit department. UHY Hacker Young provide services to a great variety of business sectors and, within each sector, clients are different in sizes and styles of organizations. So far I have been an audit junior for seven months and I have been involved in a variety of roles including: attending audit meetings prior to the commencement of an audit; working within audit teams of varying sizes at the clients’ offices; gaining the knowledge of different sectors. I have received invaluable support from the members of audit teams and ultimately I am constantly learning new things.
What made you choose UHY Hacker Young?
I was keen to join UHY Hacker Young as it has clients ranging from small businesses to AIM listed ones. In addition I was particularly attracted to this size of firm as I am sure that you are treated more as an individual and get to know a greater percentage of the firm’s staff than you would in a much larger one. My experience here has confirmed that it is indeed a very friendly firm where there is a genuine interest in the trainees’ development.
Do you tend to work late into the evenings or a lot of weekends?
There is no doubt that evening and weekend work plays a very large part in the learning process, especially before the examinations. However we attend first class lectures with excellent study manuals so the learning process is well structured and enables an effective use of time. The ACA is a hard qualification to achieve and sacrifices do need to be made but I also believe that you need to set aside time for relaxation – so, good time management is essential.
What makes a good auditor?
Being a team player with an eye for detail are essential characteristics. It is necessary to understand the clients business as much as possible and to complete your part of the audit on time and to the highest standard. In addition I believe good inter-personal skills are needed to enable an easy and productive relationship with the clients’ staff.
What is the atmosphere like at UHY Hacker Young?
Much of the time I have been either at college or at clients’ premises but no matter where the location is I have found my colleagues to be relaxed and friendly and also very supportive and helpful. It’s also good to be working at the London office sometimes because you very often meet up with colleagues who you don’t see too often.
What do you like most about your role?
I like the variety of going to different clients’ premises and being part of different audit teams, I have had to travel to many places I’ve never visited before, which I enjoy. Most important however is that the business sectors the clients are in usually differ from one audit to another. As a result I gain experience within a variety of different business sectors and organisations.
What is the most challenging thing about your role?
Without doubt the most challenging part of the role is having to juggle the requirements of work with the necessity of studying for my ACA. However after each successful exam result I get a boost which gives me momentum to prepare for the next one. It is a demanding three year programme but successful completion of the ICAEW examinations and the practical experience gained make it worthwhile.
