1. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. A career without university

2. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. 'Best years of your life' Independence of moving away Time and space Everyone else is doing it Life time friendships Significant debt Skills gap University vs apprenticeship Knew what I wanted to do Earn while you learn Qualify quicker 2 years more experience Exposure to opportunities Responsibility/respect Social events Degree

3. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Life as a trainee accountant

4. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. An average day There isn't one! Typically… –working with clients at their premises –operating as part of a team, or sometimes individually –performing testing procedures –discussing significant issues with the client –understanding their business –interaction with senior client staff –explanation of key business trends to others –travelling No two clients are the same

5. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Qualified to succeed? The two main study routes…

6. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Entry routes into accountancy… Years 1 2 3 4 5 6 School Leaver Graduate AAT/ATTUniversity course ACA/ACCA/CTA/CIPFA

7. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. lots of support from tuition providers, such as Kaplan –specialist tutors to guide you through the exams full-time college tuition –teaching style similar to university lecture time off work to study –allocated study days lots of support from peers –buddy system study with trainees from other firm Balancing work and study

8. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Once you are qualified continued professional development and advancement further professional qualifications remain in current service line or move into another department many secondments available –national, industry and international opportunities in industry –52% current chief executives in the FTSE 100 are accounts

9. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. How applications work SELF-SELECTION APPLY ONLINE ONLINE TESTS DIGITAL INTERVIEW FINAL ROUND ASSESSMENT DAY Manager interview, Partner interview and more opportunity to learn about the firm Online digital interview Successful applicants should hear back and will be invited to complete online tests. Apply as soon as possible To join a firm will need to know about academics, personal achievements and why that particular firm

10. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. What I took into account when making my decision

11. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. The decision I made….. When I left school, everyone went to university and couldn't understand why I didn't want to. But for me, the prospect of being paid straight from school and gaining real experience with clients from the start seemed far better than going to uni for three years first and coming out with a massive debt. However, I was (as I think all school leavers are) worried about whether graduates would be at an advantage in the work place. I could not have got it more wrong. As school leavers, you are treated exactly the same as the graduates, working on similar clients and being given the same responsibilities. I know managers and partners who have taken the school leaver route and are in the same place as those who were graduates are. The only difference is the exams they took to get there. Many people also think you miss out on social life by starting work straight away, but I have found that as well as the many work socials that are organised, it is great fun to take a long weekend and stay with friends at their universities without living in overdraft! I don't regret taking the school leaver route at all, I should qualify within 5 years of leaving sixth form (quicker than graduates) have no debt, and will have gained a wealth of experience. The only downside I can see is giving up long holidays in the summer! Clarissa, Grant Thornton Cambridge (Previously Bedford Girls’ School)

12. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. The decision I made….. The main driver for heading straight into work from sixth form, as opposed to choosing university, was having the ability to work towards a professional qualification without needing a degree as a start to build upon. Within our firm, graduates start out at the same level as school leavers, so there is no real difference in the work that you are doing on a day to day basis. On top of this, you're earning while you're learning. The only real downside is that it means your friends expect you to pay for everything when they are back from uni! As with any job, there are times when you are under pressure, and the pictures of Freshers week do make you jealous, but I think that in the long term the work experience and general skills you I’ve been able to learn while on the job will pay dividends. Whilst I’ve only been in the job for 18 months, I really feel like my confidence, communication and leadership skills have come on leaps and bounds, which are transferrable skills for all walks of life. Joe, Grant Thornton Cambridge (Previously Hills Road Sixth Form)

13. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. The decision I made….. It was an incredibly tough decision deciding between going straight into work or going to university, especially when the current system is very much university driven and a majority of your school mates will be heading off to university. Obvious benefits to going straight to work include the ability to start earning straight away and begin climbing the career ladder early on. The only downside I have found so far is that whilst I am busy hard at work I see my friends at university enjoying far too much free time, at least until they reach 3rd year! Having said that after working for almost 3 years since leaving Sixth Form I do not regret my decision at all. Sam, Grant Thornton London (Previously Newport Free Grammar School)

14. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Grant Thornton at a glance

15. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Grant Thornton are the fifth largest accountancy firm in the UK and internationally 4 th largest auditor of the UK's top privately held companies No. 1 auditor to the public sector 185 UK partners, 4,300+ UK employees Who are we

16. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Where can you find us? 40,000 people operating in over 130 countries 4,500 people operating out of 25 UK offices

17. © 2012 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Audit and assurance –audit company annual accounts and issue assurance reports –the most common route into accountancy Corporate finance –market and raise funding for transactions (acquisitions and disposals) Advisory –provide advice to clients on how to improve operations Taxation services –compliance and tax structuring advice Recovery and reorganisation –reorganise clients' business and support recovery efforts Typical accounting services

18. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Don't just take our word for it… 86 in Times Top 100 graduate employers 2013 Highest ranked accountancy firm based upon employee reviews on TheJobCrowd Winner of 'Best Placement & Internship Employer' 2014 by RateMyPlacement

19. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Where to find out more? speak to people in business be proactive! visit the following websites…

20. © 2013 Grant Thornton UK LLP. All rights reserved. Questions