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  • Pages
01 Cover
02 Welcome
03 Your career, your choice
04 A window into accountancy and bookkeeping
05 See what life is like in finance
06 Life as a finance apprentice
07 Life as a finance manager
08 Life as an audit associate
09 Life as a business owner
10 Life as a management accountant
11 Where can accountancy take me?
12 Let’s talk money
13 We’re here to help you every step of the way
14 Frequently asked questions
15 How much does it cost?
16 Getting started

Life as an audit associate

Caitlin, qualified with AAT in 2019

How did you get your role as an audit associate?

I had interviews with around six firms while I was in sixth form and did a lot of research around the type of roles I would be interested in. I had support from the careers team who put me in contact with people in different firms that I could talk to.

What attracted you to audit?

I first got interested in audit because the role was described as needing analytical thinking, professional scepticism and an inquiring mind. It appealed to me because I like the idea that not everything you hear in the first moment is going to be the truth, you have to delve deeper into the figures.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am an Audit Associate in the Financial Services division and am involved in audit for banks, insurance companies and investment companies. A typical day means managing small jobs in my team. I do a lot of checking up on the junior members of the team and I speak to clients. I’m doing a lot of fieldwork for the reports and feeding back information to my managers.

How has AAT helped you?

I chose an AAT qualification because I’d heard from a lot of people who had gone straight into ACCA that they’d struggled with it. I knew AAT was a good strong foundation and was very well regarded. Even if I had decided to complete my AAT qualifications and then moved into a different profession, I would still have a good grounding and great qualifications that would enable me to work in many different careers and provided a lot of options for the future.

What skills do you need?

You have to be adaptable and open-minded. Communication is really important too. I am speaking with CEOs daily and I have to ask the right questions. I also have to communicate well with my team because audits involve a lot of teamwork.

Any tips for breaking into the profession?

Research what you want to do – there are different firms with different cultures, and although they provide similar experiences, you need to find the one that’s right for you.