Final audit reminderWell it’s finally here, the time of year I have been warned about ever since I joined the office… Final audit. The constant speculation of the new trainees about how much work is expected, how long the hours are likely to be, will I be in the same place for the whole time, will I get TOIL (Time Off in Lieu), and many, many more questions regarding this new adventure in our lives. I must note I use the word adventure very loosely here. Well after hearing all the horror stories of final audit I must say mine has gotten off to a rather mellow start, other than some hammering down rain and unseasonably cold weather it’s been much like any other week in my working life (I even had time to write this so it can’t have been that chaotic!).

To give some insight into what it is actually like so far I would describe it as the calm before the storm, plenty of little things to be getting on with and finishing up before the deluge of work falls upon us when we get their draft set of accounts. It is expected that we will have to work additional hours to our normal working day during these times but not to the point that the fear mongers will have us believe; maybe 7 or 8pm according to my audit team. With the lighter evenings, and the, hopefully, better weather, this shouldn’t impact too much on working life, still plenty of time in the evening for a nice dinner and relaxation in a local beer garden to enjoy the summer. A few words of advice; always book a hotel with breakfast, get to know your team (as you will be spending a lot of time with them), bring some evening entertainment – a book or laptop (when you’re not busy finish all the fiddley bits of work you’ve been avoiding before they mount up) and finally, bring enough clothes – it can be freezing even in May or, as I did on the first Monday, you could drop coffee down your suit as you walk through the door and need something clean.

My first week overall hasn’t been too strenuous, I have had plenty to get on with without having to earn my TOIL just yet. I have spent most of the week clearing up issues from Q3 and catching up with the client, both worthwhile activities for my gruelling 4 week slog ahead! Luckily the weather looks like it has picked up so maybe there will be some advantages to being by the seaside, although I still doubt swimming shorts will be in order.

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