The following questions and answers are transcribed from videos recorded with our graduates. To read an interview, click on a name below, or click here to view the videos.
Anmol Sood
What does your largest client turn over?
My largest client is a well known retailer who currently turn over around a couple of hundred million pounds.
How many times a day do you laugh at work and have you ever been close to tears?
I laugh normally everyday, all the time. We get on so well in our jobs, with our clients that it's hard not to laugh - at people, with people, whatever it may be.
Have you progressed through your training since you’ve been with Grant Thornton? Is study easy at work?
Study's not easy at work, you have to know that before you start, but it's something you just have to put up with. I've already passed my first two accountancy exams, which I took in the December after I started. I've also just taken my next four exams which I'll get the results for tomorrow, so I'll be able to tell you about that tomorrow.
Do you get to run your own projects?
I've just been promoted to an A2, which is in the second year of your training contract, and you start to be able to run smaller clients. But at the moment, I'm normally going out with a senior and they normally give me part of a client to run by myself.
What advice would you give to graduates who want to apply?
Smile! Definitely smile in interviews. The thing with Grant Thornton is that it's a very friendly environment, so the friendlier you come across in your interviews, the better your chances of getting a job. The advice I can give - I wasn't too scared, because I'd been to other interviews beforehand, but the thing about Grant Thornton is that they make you feel very comfortable while you're doing your interviews - so I wouldn't be too scared if I were you.
What time did you get in this morning and what time will you get home?
I got up at 6.30 this morning, normally I get up about 6.45, aiming to get to work by around 8.50. Depending on how busy you are, you can get home around 6.30, the latest I've got home was 10.00, but you get paid overtime... so it doesn't matter.
Do you enjoy travel and do you get to travel in your job?
You get to travel a fair bit, I've travelled around England. I haven't actually been abroad yet, but I've had friends who've been to Barbados, I've got a friend who's going to Holland, New York, Chicago. So hopefully as I progress I will be able to travel more.
Where do you work in a typical week and what do you work on?
It's varied from week to week because I work in a specialist department which encompasses FSA clients, charity clients, and various other specialists fields. so it could be working in the office, could be working in client premises, could be anywhere in England actually.
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Aurangzaib Ysufi
How long were you at Grant Thornton before your first board level meeting?
My very first board level meeting was 3 weeks into my placement and that was really interesting and exciting because I got to experience a board meeting with directors from Eastern Europe, Australia, Singapore and America. And with all their ideas and everything they were discussing, it was quite exciting to be part of the team.
What's going to be the biggest business issue that will affect your work in 2006?
The biggest issue that I think affects work this year is the international accounting and auditing standards that are being brought in. Firms are being asked to comply with international regulations, so that’s one of the key players within 2006 with the transition from the UK regulations onto an international level.
What position were you when you joined Grant Thornton and what were your first impressions?
My very first experience of Grant Thornton was when I came here for a work placement, which was last year. I didn't know very much about Grant Thornton at first, but my experiences here were very good and I learnt a lot about the firm, and hence I applied for the graduate position.
How scary was it when you applied for a job at Grant Thornton?
I don’t think it was scary as such, it was more…excitement, and the fear of the unknown, because you've not been there, and you don't know what it would be like. But once I got in touch with people from here, right from the beginning with the HR interview all the way to the partner interview, the people were fantastic. They do actually treat you like a person, you're there for the interview and they do take a real interest in what you're doing - outside university and at university. So I feel that overall their processes are quite good.
If there was one thing in the office you could take home with you, what would it be and why?
Well it would have to be one of the partners' Ferraris from the car park.
Have you progressed through your training since you've been with Grant Thornton?
Yes, the support I get - and my colleagues would agree - from work for our examination and study is great. One of the winning points I feel for Grant Thornton is Bradenham, our training centre, where we have residential courses and we're there for the full time of study, it's brilliant. The facilities they provide and the opportunities for training they provide is fantastic, and you get the chance to meet other graduates from other offices. I think the training they provide is quite focussed and you do feel they're taking a real interest in your training.
Do you enjoy travel and do you get to travel in your job?
I do enjoy travelling! But so far, as I've only been here for 4 months, I've not had the experience of travelling as much - the furthest I've been is Ealing and Watford. But I do know of one of my colleagues who's actually scheduled to go to California and New York - so the opportunities are endless.
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Diane Currie
What position were you when you joined Grant Thornton and what were your first impressions?
Well I was an audit trainee, which I still am, and I've been in the firm for 5 months now, and I was in the business services group. My first impressions were that it's a very professional, but friendly and helpful environment.
Have you progressed through your training since you've been with Grant Thornton?
Yeah, I've actually just completed my first 2 weeks at college, at the beginning of January and that was my first two weeks of training with the 3 year contract and it was good, it was enjoyable - I met lots of different people from different firms at the college.
Do you enjoy travel and do you get to travel in your job?
I love travelling! Before I joined Grant Thornton I spent a year and a half travelling in Australia and Asia, so I do enjoy it. So far in my job I haven't travelled that much but in the next couple of months I'm due to do some away jobs, so that will mean a bit of travelling.
Where do you work in a typical week and what do you work on?
In a typical week so far I've been based in the office, in business services you generally start out doing accounts preparation. So a typical week for me has been preparing accounts for some of the smaller clients.
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James Dolan
How did you come to be in the job you're in now? How has life panned panned out for you?
I did a tax module at university, I quite enjoyed that and did very well in it. And that led to me applying to Grant Thornton into tax, and its panning out well. I've just passed my first set of exams and have been promoted, so it's going very well.
How long were you at Grant Thornton before your first board level meeting with a client?
I was quite fortunate actually, my first board level meeting was probably about a month after I joined. The partners and managers are quite supportive if there's an opportunity - which there was, so I was quite fortunate there.
What does your largest client turn over?
I think my largest client turns over just under £300 million.
Where do you work in a non-typical week and what do you work on?
There's lots of opportunities to run your own projects, you're supported along the way by management which is quite good. I've had plenty of chances to do that.
How is training normally conducted at Grant Thornton?
Training is normally group sessions, lots of revision, questions, presentations and just general practice of what we were studying a few weeks before.
Do you enjoy travel and do you get to travel in your job?
I do enjoy travelling. At the moment I don't travel much because I'm studying for my exams. But there are lots of opportunities, my senior manager just been on secondment to the States, so that's something I look forward to doing.
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Gayathri Varatharajan
What position were you when you joined Grant Thornton and what were your first impressions?
When I came in for the interview I met a few of the people working here and my first impressions were really good because everyone was so nice and friendly. And that was confirmed when I started working here as a temp because on my first day I was taken around the office and introduced to every single person in the department, which was really, really nice.
How did you come to be in the job you're in now? How has life panned out for you?
Ever since a young age I knew I wanted to do something finance related because I was quite good at math and I enjoyed the business side of things. I'd looked into accountancy and actuarial work, and actuarial came out to be the better one for me because I'd done some work experience. So in my last year of university I applied to a few places and got the job at Grant Thornton.
How many times a day do you laugh at work and have you ever been close to tears?
Actually I can't even count the amount of times I laugh at work because we have so much fun, and yes, there have been a few occasions when I've been close to tears.
How scary was it when you applied for a job at Grant Thornton? What advice would you give to interviewees?
I wouldn't say it was scary, certainly the application procedure at Grant Thornton was one of the most pleasant one of all the companies I'd applied to. The HR staff are really, really friendly and you're treated on a personal level as opposed to another reference number. It wasn't scary, but I wouldn't say it was easy either, the interview's quite challenging and they make you think. So the advice I would give to anyone applying would be to definitely be themselves and do their research first.
When was the last time you had a social event with your team?
The last time - actually we're going out on a social tonight - was when one of the actuaries in our team qualified, so we had a big celebration for that.
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