Thanks for your kind words, this site is a fantastic source of information and I am glad I can add something positive to it.
As for future posts, I did not apply to any other Big 4 firms other than EY and unfortunately did not receive offers from BDO or GT so I’m not sure how qualified I am to offer advice. I did receive offers from some smaller firms including Tenon, Vantis and Simmons Gainford so if anyone is interested in hearing about my experiences with those firms, please let me know and I will make some more posts.
I have some general advice about how to answer career commitment and commercial awareness questions but much of it had been said before. Nevertheless, if anyone would like me to post, again, just let me know.
I know it's a lot of effort (so don't feel you have to), but if you like do write about GT and BDO - there's not so much on them here and I bet loads of people would find it useful, even if it's just what happened on the day!
i havent had a chance to read through the whole post but i would like to know if there any other points that you can tell about this application process as this schemem is very good and would like to get into it since i want to the ACCA qualification
i was sent an email this afternoon by E&Y, saying that due to recent changes in the business demands in London Audit, my application is no longer considered. fortunately, i was asked if i'd like to change my application preference (location). of course i have to. but the whole thing really upsets me a lot. i just wish they can reply to me ASAP and suggest me the next move. :(
Thanks for your kind words, this site is a fantastic source of information and I am glad I can add something positive to it.
As for future posts, I did not apply to any other Big 4 firms other than EY and unfortunately did not receive offers from BDO or GT so I’m not sure how qualified I am to offer advice. I did receive offers from some smaller firms including Tenon, Vantis and Simmons Gainford so if anyone is interested in hearing about my experiences with those firms, please let me know and I will make some more posts.
I have some general advice about how to answer career commitment and commercial awareness questions but much of it had been said before. Nevertheless, if anyone would like me to post, again, just let me know.
"well done!" to you mate, can you also elaborate on what you mentioned above would be really useful.
thanks
Thanks for your kind words, this site is a fantastic source of information and I am glad I can add something positive to it.
As for future posts, I did not apply to any other Big 4 firms other than EY and unfortunately did not receive offers from BDO or GT so I’m not sure how qualified I am to offer advice. I did receive offers from some smaller firms including Tenon, Vantis and Simmons Gainford so if anyone is interested in hearing about my experiences with those firms, please let me know and I will make some more posts.
I have some general advice about how to answer career commitment and commercial awareness questions but much of it had been said before. Nevertheless, if anyone would like me to post, again, just let me know.
Bravo useful information,
I applied this scheme too and will have interview next week friday, does anyone knows about the
1)starting salary for this position? and
2)on what ground will a trainee receive ACCA training? and
3)how long will the initial training last for?
cos unlike the assoicate program, the technician program doesn't mention anything about the length of the contract as well as what it will lead to after ACCA...
Just had my interview a few days ago and I received an email the same day to let me know I have passed, how is everybody? got any news about assessment center?
And I am really want to know the starting salary for this post!
good luck everyone, and i willing to share my experience...more to follow!
I've applied for the same scheme and just passed the online tests. Can I ask if the first interview and the paper tests are on the same day?..and if possible could you mention a couple of hints on the interview you had if possible.
Hi, I’ve noticed that there isn’t a lot on here about Ernst and Young and specifically the Assurance Technician programme.
I recently accepted a job on this programme and found this site very useful throughout the application process, particularly posts from chrism2671 who really knows his stuff and I would advise anyone applying to professional services to read these.
The main difference between the AT and mainstream Audit programme is the size of clients which you will likely be working with. For me, this was a big attraction as I felt that my personal development and training would be accelerated by working more closely with the clients key decision makers.
The application process follows the same pattern as the mainstream programme with the initial application leading to online testing, an assessment centre and then final interview.
First of all, anyone who is interested in applying should do so as early in the school year (September onwards) as possible as the selection process seems to get more demanding as the year progresses and an early offer will give you much needed options and peace of mind.
The application stage looks into your experiences and skills to extract key competencies the firm feels are necessary to train and, ultimately, be successful at the job. Take your time over the application and try to do their job for them – really highlight what you think are important skills and tailor your individual experiences to help them navigate through your application, scoring points along the way.
The online tests are much like the rest and if you do enough of them you will start to get the same pieces of text, graphs, tables and sometimes even the same question. The practice questions are important to familiarise yourself with the format. The test itself is a popup which runs in front of the main page so your application is still liable to time out through inactivity and if this happens your answers cannot be submitted. I learned this the hard way so just make sure you click a link on your main application page before starting the test. The answers are also not recorded until the time runs out or you submit. For me, just getting 20 quiet minutes was a problem so it is possible to unplug your internet connection if you feel you are performing particularly badly but to be honest if you doing this regularly, you have to think whether or not you could handle the academic training – the tests are there for a reason.
The assessment centre was identical to the mainstream audit programme and comprised a project writing exercise, an interview with a manager and a group discussion about the project. The whole day focused mainly on your ability to work as part of a team with the group exercises examining your practical team skills and the interview looking at your past experiences of working in teams. It is worth mentioning at this point that the group project was not marked and carried no weight other than to set up the group discussion. There is an excellent description of the group project on another post. My advice here would be to show your understanding of the service on offer at E&Y by relating these to the project. Don’t make it too obvious but try to work the room – use the white board and try to establish a lead role early on. Bring other people into the discussion by passing ideas around, stay focused on the objective and make it known they you are aware of the amount of time left and that there is a deadline. If you can, try to dictate the pace of the discussion in your favour, be confident and enthusiastic and think carefully about your ideas before you voice them.
The final interview at E&Y is much more competency based than at other firms but still focuses mainly around your commitment to the career but also your commercial awareness and your skills and development needs. This will be carried out by a director or partner who are very senior and likely have 20-25+ years experience. In essence, you will essentially be working for them as they have a huge personal and financial stake in the firm and the bottom line for them is whether or not they believe what you are saying, whether you really are ready and able to make to step up to a demanding training programme and whether or not you are worth spending 100k on to get you trained up. For this interview make sure you have a clear understanding of why you want to join E&Y rather than another Big 4 firm or a smaller one and what implications this will have on your career. You must know in detail what you will be doing in your first year at the company (studying, ticking/testing, building client/colleague relationships) and be able to talk at length about the audit process and how substantive and control testing form the basis of the audit opinion. You must also know about past and present factors which may affect the accountancy industry including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and factors which may affect their clients including the Credit Crunch. For me, company specific knowledge was not assessed but I had both a successful and failing company case study prepared. Finally, E&Y is concerned with offering a quality service to its clients. You need to think about what quality means to you and also how a competitive advantage could be achieved and sustained. Be respectful but friendly and relaxed, gauge the interviewer’s interest in what you are saying and respond accordingly – they know the kind of person that will succeed and get along with their clients and staff so chemistry it key – if you are a likable person who knows their stuff and can convey this in the interview, you should be fine.
I hope this post is helpful to people applying to E&Y and professional services in general and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please reply and I will do my best to respond.
____________________
doddsiey's post was somehow accidently removed from this thread when we moved forum software. It has been repasted here by the admin. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of WikiJob.
I'm flattered! :) Absolutely first rate post, well done!
I knew the bit about unplugging the computer, but I thought it was a bit too cheeky to mention!
:)
First class post! Great! I'm very impressed....will there be more?! :)
Ed
Thanks for your kind words, this site is a fantastic source of information and I am glad I can add something positive to it.
As for future posts, I did not apply to any other Big 4 firms other than EY and unfortunately did not receive offers from BDO or GT so I’m not sure how qualified I am to offer advice. I did receive offers from some smaller firms including Tenon, Vantis and Simmons Gainford so if anyone is interested in hearing about my experiences with those firms, please let me know and I will make some more posts.
I have some general advice about how to answer career commitment and commercial awareness questions but much of it had been said before. Nevertheless, if anyone would like me to post, again, just let me know.
I know it's a lot of effort (so don't feel you have to), but if you like do write about GT and BDO - there's not so much on them here and I bet loads of people would find it useful, even if it's just what happened on the day!
hi
i havent had a chance to read through the whole post but i would like to know if there any other points that you can tell about this application process as this schemem is very good and would like to get into it since i want to the ACCA qualification
A bad day
i was sent an email this afternoon by E&Y, saying that due to recent changes in the business demands in London Audit, my application is no longer considered. fortunately, i was asked if i'd like to change my application preference (location). of course i have to. but the whole thing really upsets me a lot. i just wish they can reply to me ASAP and suggest me the next move. :(
That's pretty tough actually. That would leave a bitter taste in my mind!
"well done!" to you mate, can you also elaborate on what you mentioned above would be really useful.
thanks
Bravo useful information,
I applied this scheme too and will have interview next week friday, does anyone knows about the
1)starting salary for this position? and
2)on what ground will a trainee receive ACCA training? and
3)how long will the initial training last for?
cos unlike the assoicate program, the technician program doesn't mention anything about the length of the contract as well as what it will lead to after ACCA...
Thx alot bro and sis
does this really work???
Just had my interview a few days ago and I received an email the same day to let me know I have passed, how is everybody? got any news about assessment center?
And I am really want to know the starting salary for this post!
good luck everyone, and i willing to share my experience...more to follow!
Congratulations
Congratulations ggforever!
I've applied for the same scheme and just passed the online tests. Can I ask if the first interview and the paper tests are on the same day?..and if possible could you mention a couple of hints on the interview you had if possible.
Many thanks!
Ernst and Young Assurance Technician UKI
Ernst and Young Assurance Technician UKI
Hi, I’ve noticed that there isn’t a lot on here about Ernst and Young and specifically the Assurance Technician programme.
I recently accepted a job on this programme and found this site very useful throughout the application process, particularly posts from chrism2671 who really knows his stuff and I would advise anyone applying to professional services to read these.
The main difference between the AT and mainstream Audit programme is the size of clients which you will likely be working with. For me, this was a big attraction as I felt that my personal development and training would be accelerated by working more closely with the clients key decision makers.
The application process follows the same pattern as the mainstream programme with the initial application leading to online testing, an assessment centre and then final interview.
First of all, anyone who is interested in applying should do so as early in the school year (September onwards) as possible as the selection process seems to get more demanding as the year progresses and an early offer will give you much needed options and peace of mind.
The application stage looks into your experiences and skills to extract key competencies the firm feels are necessary to train and, ultimately, be successful at the job. Take your time over the application and try to do their job for them – really highlight what you think are important skills and tailor your individual experiences to help them navigate through your application, scoring points along the way.
The online tests are much like the rest and if you do enough of them you will start to get the same pieces of text, graphs, tables and sometimes even the same question. The practice questions are important to familiarise yourself with the format. The test itself is a popup which runs in front of the main page so your application is still liable to time out through inactivity and if this happens your answers cannot be submitted. I learned this the hard way so just make sure you click a link on your main application page before starting the test. The answers are also not recorded until the time runs out or you submit. For me, just getting 20 quiet minutes was a problem so it is possible to unplug your internet connection if you feel you are performing particularly badly but to be honest if you doing this regularly, you have to think whether or not you could handle the academic training – the tests are there for a reason.
The assessment centre was identical to the mainstream audit programme and comprised a project writing exercise, an interview with a manager and a group discussion about the project. The whole day focused mainly on your ability to work as part of a team with the group exercises examining your practical team skills and the interview looking at your past experiences of working in teams. It is worth mentioning at this point that the group project was not marked and carried no weight other than to set up the group discussion. There is an excellent description of the group project on another post. My advice here would be to show your understanding of the service on offer at E&Y by relating these to the project. Don’t make it too obvious but try to work the room – use the white board and try to establish a lead role early on. Bring other people into the discussion by passing ideas around, stay focused on the objective and make it known they you are aware of the amount of time left and that there is a deadline. If you can, try to dictate the pace of the discussion in your favour, be confident and enthusiastic and think carefully about your ideas before you voice them.
The final interview at E&Y is much more competency based than at other firms but still focuses mainly around your commitment to the career but also your commercial awareness and your skills and development needs. This will be carried out by a director or partner who are very senior and likely have 20-25+ years experience. In essence, you will essentially be working for them as they have a huge personal and financial stake in the firm and the bottom line for them is whether or not they believe what you are saying, whether you really are ready and able to make to step up to a demanding training programme and whether or not you are worth spending 100k on to get you trained up. For this interview make sure you have a clear understanding of why you want to join E&Y rather than another Big 4 firm or a smaller one and what implications this will have on your career. You must know in detail what you will be doing in your first year at the company (studying, ticking/testing, building client/colleague relationships) and be able to talk at length about the audit process and how substantive and control testing form the basis of the audit opinion. You must also know about past and present factors which may affect the accountancy industry including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and factors which may affect their clients including the Credit Crunch. For me, company specific knowledge was not assessed but I had both a successful and failing company case study prepared. Finally, E&Y is concerned with offering a quality service to its clients. You need to think about what quality means to you and also how a competitive advantage could be achieved and sustained. Be respectful but friendly and relaxed, gauge the interviewer’s interest in what you are saying and respond accordingly – they know the kind of person that will succeed and get along with their clients and staff so chemistry it key – if you are a likable person who knows their stuff and can convey this in the interview, you should be fine.
I hope this post is helpful to people applying to E&Y and professional services in general and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please reply and I will do my best to respond.
____________________
doddsiey's post was somehow accidently removed from this thread when we moved forum software. It has been repasted here by the admin. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of WikiJob.