As trainees we spend a substantial amount of our time at college, so that we are well prepared to pass the 15 exams that will allow us to become chartered accountants at the end of our training contract. I have just finished my first year at the NAO and my intake has so far sat 9 exams. As you can imagine we spent a lot of time studying at college! For our 3 September exams we spent 3 weeks in college during April and July in order to learn the content and 3 more weeks just before the exams in order to revise and practice questions.
Being at college is always a lot of hard work and we all have to put in a lot of effort in order to pass the exams. Our college days start at 9 a.m. and class finishes at around 4.15 p.m. In the evenings we have to revise topics that have been discussed during the day, learn some new content via online lectures or do practice questions.
Study material is provided for us at the beginning of each course and our tutors always offer us to contact them with any questions that we might have. Also, our classes are relatively small, as our intake is divided into two groups and we each get the opportunity to ask questions during class and further discuss topics that we do not understand during the breaks. We are very well looked after!
But college is not only hard work. It is also a nice change from the busy office life and a good opportunity to catch up with people from my intake that I usually do not see as often. Also, a trip to the pub on a Friday evening after a hard week of studying with the entire intake is always nice.
So far I have not only enjoyed my time working at the NAO, but also studying at college. It might sound strange, but I look forward to going back for our revision course in a few weeks for the December exams, even though it will mean a lot of work. Getting the results of the exams and knowing that you are one step closer towards becoming a chartered accountant is a very good reward!
Apply now!
Our 2016 graduate training scheme is now open to applications (deadline 31 January 2016). Head over to our graduate recruitment site for further information on how to apply.
If you’ve got any questions around the application process, please leave a comment below. You can also contact our recruitment team by email, via our Facebook page, or on Twitter.